Naomi Osaka has made her long-awaited return to Wimbledon after a four-year hiatus.
While her immediate focus is on the grass courts of the All England Club, Osaka is also planning for her upcoming participation in the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, with her daughter Shai being a central part of her life and schedule.
Since welcoming her daughter Shai in July 2023, Osaka has adjusted her schedule to accommodate her new role as a mother.
During a pre-tournament press conference at Wimbledon, Osaka discussed her preparations for both Wimbledon and the Olympics, revealing that she plans to bring a small team with her to Paris.
“Yeah, I honestly, I’m so focused on this tournament now I wasn’t thinking about the Olympics, but, um, honestly, I probably will bring a small team with me to the Olympics when I get there,” Osaka shared.
However, she remained uncertain about Shai’s travel plans, expressing concern over the frequent time zone changes:
“I don’t know. Shai travels quite a lot, so I don’t want to, like, keep flying her back and forth and messing with her time zones.”
Osaka is set to represent Japan in her second Summer Olympics, competing in the singles tournament alongside Kei Nishikori and Moyuka Uchijima.
She previously participated in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, where she had the honor of lighting the cauldron at the opening ceremony.
Balancing her professional career with motherhood, Osaka often expresses how much she misses Shai when they are apart.
“It’s definitely been really hard,” she admitted, acknowledging the challenges of missing important moments in her daughter’s early development.
She spoke about the importance of maintaining a stable environment for Shai at home, despite her desire to have her daughter travel with her.
Osaka has found ways to stay connected with Shai during her travels.
“I FaceTime her a lot. I get a lot of videos. She knows how to, like, kiss the phone. If I FaceTime her and I go (kissing sounds into the phone), then she’ll kiss the phone back. I don’t know, it’s really cute. I don’t feel like I’m missing too much ’cause I’m getting so many updates, yeah,” Osaka shared in a recent interview.
As Naomi Osaka prepares for her upcoming matches at Wimbledon, she continues to inspire many by demonstrating the possibility of balancing a demanding career with personal life.
Fans are eager to see her performance and hope for more impressive displays like her recent showing against Iga Swiatek at Roland Garros.
With Shai cheering her on from the stands, Osaka is ready to make her mark once again at Wimbledon.
