Naomi Osaka Gets Honest About ‘Tough’ Realities Of Motherhood

Naomi Osaka is getting candid about the challenges of balancing motherhood and her tennis career since welcoming her daughter Shai.

In a new interview with Hello! Magazine, the tennis star, 27, admitted that juggling everything can be “tough” at times.

“My career requires me to travel for most of the year, which makes it tough when I have to be away from my daughter so frequently, but I’ve got such a great support system around,” she said in an interview published Monday. “It takes a village, and I truly couldn’t do it without mine.”

She added: “They are there with me during the highs and lows.”

The two-time U.S. Open champion, who called motherhood “so fulfilling,” went on to gush over how becoming a mom changed her life.

“Motherhood has definitely given me a broader perspective on life. Kids require so much patience, and I’ve definitely learned to be more patient through my daughter,” she said.

Osaka welcomed Shai with her then-partner Cordae in 2023. The pair, who have been publicly linked since 2019, later announced their split in early 2025.

Osaka shared details about the rapper’s parenting style back in December 2023 while telling InStyle that the two “built a really good foundation” together.

“I don’t know if it’s because he’s just an easygoing guy, but I think we just respect each other’s opinions,” she said of parenting Shai with Cordae. “And if we disagree on something, we talk it out. At the end of the day, we both want what’s best for Shai.”

Elsewhere in her Hello! Magazine interview, Osaka revealed whether she plans to welcome more kids in the future.

“Maybe one day. I love cooking and having a house full of people to feed for so that would be fun,” she explained. “For now, I’ll stick to cooking for extended family and friends!”