"Being a mum has changed my life a lot, I want to show Shai she's capable of everything" - Naomi Osaka 

Naomi Osaka recently spoke about how motherhood has changed her life and her perspective on a number of things.

The Japanese has not played a single match since the 2022 Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo. Osaka missed the entirety of the 2023 season due to her pregnancy and is set to return to action in 2024, six months after giving birth to her daughter Shai.

Naomi Osaka is currently in Brisbane gearing up for the Brisbane International. She spoke to the media and said that being a mother has changed her life a lot and changed her perspective on a number of things.

Osaka also said that one of the main reasons behind her return to tennis was to show her daughter that she was capable of anything.

“Being a mum has changed my life a lot. I think it changed my perspective on a lot of things. Giving birth was one of the most painful things I’ve ever gone through. So, it’s definitely made me feel like, physically I can handle a lot. I just want to show Shai that she’s capable of everything, so that’s one of my main purposes and main reasons why I want to be back out here," Naomi Osaka told the media.

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Naomi Osaka will compete in the Brisbane International for the third time in her career

Naomi Osaka with a koala in Brisbane

The 2024 edition will be Naomi Osaka's third appearance in the main draw of the Brisbane International.

She took part in the qualifiers of the 2016 tournament and reached the last round before losing to Kateryna Bondarenko. Osaka did not compete in the main draw of the competition until 2019, when she was seeded second.

Osaka reached the semifinals of the Brisbane International in 2019 with wins over qualifier Destanee Aiava and eighth seed Anastasija Sevastova. However, she was beaten by eventual runner-up Lesia Tsurenko.

The Japanese was the third seed in the 2020 Brisbane International and started with a win over Maria Sakkari in the opening round. Osaka then triumphed over Sofia Kenin and Kiki Bertens to reach the semifinals. Here, she was beaten by eventual champion Karolina Pliskova despite winning the first set.

Naomi Osaka is scheduled to compete at the Australian Open after the Brisbane International. She has previously won the Melbourne Major twice in 2019 and 2021, beating Petra Kvitova and Jennifer Brady, respectively, in the finals.