Naomi Osaka on Australian Open exit and impact of motherhood: "I'm happy to go see Shai soon, relieved I'll be back in time to see her first crawl"

Naomi Osaka made her grand slam comeback at the 2024 Australian Open after giving birth to her daughter Shai last year. However, her dream of winning a third title in Melbourne was cut short by a tough loss to Caroline Garcia in the first round.

Despite the disappointment, Osaka shared her gratitude and optimism in a heartfelt message, reflecting on her journey as a new mother and a professional athlete.

Osaka, who has won four Grand Slam titles, including two at the Australian Open in 2019 and 2021, took a break from the sport in September 2022. She announced her pregnancy in January 2023 and welcomed her daughter Shai with her rapper boyfriend Cordae in July 2023.

Osaka made her comeback in 2024, winning her first match in 15 months against Tamara Korpatsch at the Brisbane International before losing a three-set match to Karolina Pliskova. She then headed to Melbourne, where she faced Garcia in the opening round.

The match was a tight affair, with both players serving well and hitting powerful shots. Garcia, however, was more consistent and clutch, dominating the tiebreak in the second set to win 6-4, 7-6 (2).

The Japanese took to Instagram on Tuesday, January 16, to share a series of pictures and clips from her Australian Open experience. In the last slide, she shared a screenshot of her notes, where she wrote a heartfelt message about her comeback journey.

"Writing this on my way back home and I have to say I'm extremely thankful. I remember last year I wished I had an opportunity to play again on Rod Laver Arena and this year that happened so one of my dreams already came true," Naomi Osaka wrote.

Osaka expressed frustration with her performance and acknowledged that she had to remind herself that she was pregnant six months ago and that she could not expect amazing results right away.

"Currently however my entire being is so disappointed with my result, the standards I set for myself are so incredibly high. I try to remind myself that I was pregnant 6 months ago and I can't expect amazing results from the jump- that doesn't really do much to quell my thoughts though," she added.

The 26-year-old also said that she had learned to value her time more after having her daughter Shai and that she did not have time to mope after losses anymore.

"Understanding the importance of time is a skill I improved on after having Shai, things that used to bother me don't bother me anymore. I don't have time for it. In that same aspect I feel I don't have time to mope after losses anymore, the world moves on and I have to continue to walk forward," Naomi Osaka said.

Naomi Osaka also said that she had to move on and focus on the positive aspects of her life, such as seeing her daughter grow and learn new things.

"It's a new bittersweet feeling, so sad to leave Melbourne early but I'm so happy to go see Shai soon. She's been scooting back and forth lately so I'm relieved I'll be back home in time to see her first crawl," she continued.

---

Naomi Osaka remains positive after early exit at the 2024 Australian Open

Naomi Osaka at the 2024 Australian Open

Naomi Osaka recently offered a pragmatic evaluation of her early exit at the 2024 Australian Open during the post-match media interaction.

Osaka admitted that a voice in her head questioned her ability to win matches right away after her comeback. She said that she always hoped to have a chance, but realized that being kind to herself was an important lesson that she learned during her break.

"I have to tell myself, 'Hey, like six months ago you were pregnant', stuff like that. Of course, like, there's a voice in my head that is, 'Who are you to think you can come back and immediately start winning matches'," Osaka said.

Naomi Osaka added that it was very difficult to face a good server like Caroline Garcia and make enough returns.

"I don't know. I kind of always expect myself to stand a chance anyways. So I guess just being nicer to myself is like a key thing that I learned in my time away. But it is really tough to I guess play a good server and not make too many returns," Osaka added.