"I tried to be colorful" - Naomi Osaka opens up about painting her daughter's nursery

Naomi Osaka welcomed her firstborn, a baby girl, Shai, with boyfriend Cordae last week in Los Angeles and has now opened up about her plans for the baby's nursery.

Osaka recently sat down with Vogue Magazine to discuss her thoughts on motherhood, plans for her daughter's nursery, and potential return to the tennis court.

The Japanese tennis star is well known for her fashion sense on and off the court, and her work on the baby nursery is no different. She collaborated with Crate & Barrel’s Crate & Kids to design the nursery. The room features a cloud mural and is filled with colors, notably muted pinks and sky blues. Adding shades to Shai's first room was a meticulous choice, as Osaka wanted it to be peaceful and non-provocative.

The 25-year-old also hopes the nursery will be useful to Shai when she grows and not just cater to her during infancy.

“I just know that I really wanted a peaceful nursery. And I wanted somewhere the baby could get adjusted to as well, when she’s a little bit older. Not just in the infant stage. That was my main focus.” Osaka said.

“I tried to be colorful, but not overstimulating,” she added.

Cordae was the first to break the news of the new baby to the world when he announced it during his latest show at the Calgary Stampede.

"My daughter Shai was just born a couple days ago, so I dedicate this performance to my baby girl Shai," Cordae said.

Naomi Osaka hints at tennis comeback after giving birth to Shai

Naomi Osaka at the 2022 US Open

While it may just be days since Naomi Osaka gave birth, it seems like the four-time Grand Slam champion is already thinking about her return to the WTA tour. In a recent Instagram post, the former World No. 1 shared a partial picture of Shai in a white tennis-themed onesie. In the caption, Osaka said that she hoped to get back to her regular schedule.

"Well that was a cool little intermission, now back to your regularly scheduled program," she wrote.

Naomi Osaka has not yet announced concrete plans for her return to tennis. However, she has stated her intentions to take 2023 to recover post-pregnancy and be physically in shape to compete at the 2024 Australian Open.

Osaka last played a professional match at the 2022 Tokyo Open, where she withdrew from her second-round match against Beatriz Haddad Maia. The Japanese played Daria Saville in the first round, where the Australian retired in the first set due to injury.