"Never really thought if I had a kid, I’d go back on the tour": Osaka admits stigma behind whether to return to tennis after having a child

Japan’s tennis star Naomi Osaka has revealed that she never expected to return to court after becoming a mother.

The 25-year-old has recently given birth to the child and to the surprise of many, returned to the court training just 15 days after becoming a mother.

Osaka, while talking to Mountaintop Conversations podcast, stated that she never thought of continuing playing after becoming a mother.

“Actually, there was a lot of pressure I felt for me,” she said.” For me, I always had the assumption that if you have a kid, it’s basically the end of your career. I don’t really see a lot of women on the tennis tour with kids. They are usually a bit older, and it just seems like a very hard taxing on your body.

“I just never really thought if I had a kid, I’d go back on the tour. But I feel like it was a magical moment for me. It just made me think of all the things I love and appreciate and it just made me really want to work hard… I’ve played tennis since I was three and I want to appreciate the time that I can still play.”

Osaka is famous for being vocal about the mental health of athletes and it is because of this reason she has taken some breaks from professional tennis as well.

The former world number one has not played a single game since September 2022 when she announced that she will take another break, but this time due to pregnancy.

It will be interesting to see whether she will be able to recoup her best form once she will resume tennis activities.

Osaka has won four Grand Slam titles in her career. Her first victory was winning the US Open back in 2018 whereas her most recent triumph came in Australian Open when she lifted the title in 2021.