"I realized it's okay to ask for help": Naomi Osaka opens on pressure of motherhood and balancing return to tennis

Monday, 04 May 2026 at 17:00

Naomi Osaka holds her racket and smiles after her victory.

Naomi Osaka welcomed her daughter Shai in July 2023 and announced her comeback to tennis soon thereafter but it has been a rocky road to say the least since returning.

Osaka spoke to PEOPLE for a partnership with OLLY as she opens up about the stress mothers experience. The former World No.1 is a brand ambassador for the company and a mother also to her daughter Shai who is now 2.

The four-time Grand Slam champion is trying to balance her tennis career, personal endeavours and also motherhood and admits it's difficult to strike a perfect balance between them all and that she finds comfort in knowing that 'everything has its place' in her life. As well as that it is ok to ask for help and to not just solely rely on pride.

"It's not like I'm setting out in my day to balance them, it just happens," she says. "And for me, I feel like everything has its place in my life. And honestly, I have a really amazing support system, so yeah, I would say they help me balance it really well."

Osaka co-parenting travails

"Honestly, I probably did have or did feel a lot of pressure my first year back playing tennis, just because I wanted to do well and be amazing at everything," she explains. "But then I realized it's okay to ask for help."

"I'm the type of person that has a lot of pride, and I don't like inconveniencing people, so I tend to hold off until the last second, but I realize that most people want to help. And when you ask for help, it's not an inconvenience," Osaka adds. "It took a long time for me to realize that in my life."

Naomi Osaka was back to her best at the 2025 US Open

She also combats this having broken up with her partner, the rapper Cordae after the birth of their daughter so it is another added facet for the tennis superstar to deal with but it is one that she does with joy as they both share pictures on their social media. Appearing to have a great relationship despite their breakup in co-parenting, Osaka has said that solely their daughter is the priority and she maes sure of that.

"She makes sure she's the priority. That's the type of personality she has," she says. "She's just the light of so many people's lives, that when she interacts with."

Osaka shares, "Maybe I can say this because I'm her mom and I'm very biased, but I don't know, I just feel like she's just such an incredible joy and it's not a difficult thing to do to prioritize her at all."

Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief

Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.

Based in Leicester, Samuel has a broad background in tennis media. In his current role, he works closely with editors and writers to ensure coverage meets clear journalistic standards, with particular attention to verification, consistency, and timely updates when new information becomes available.

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