"Shai likes to fight her sleep": Stress of motherhood or closing out a tennis match? Naomi Osaka responds after tennis return

WTA
Monday, 01 January 2024 at 23:30
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Naomi Osaka gave a hilariously candid response during the on-court interview about her daughter Shai at the 2024 Brisbane International. The 4-times Grand Slam champion struggled to win her first match after 15 months away from the WTA Tour due to her pregnancy and the subsequent birth of her daughter.
The Japanese player made a triumphant return, securing a victory over Tamara Korpatsch (No. 83) with a score of 6-3, 7-6(9). Osaka showcased a high level of play despite the extended break, although she still needs to fine-tune some aspects as she made a few unforced errors that made closing out the match more challenging. In the tie-break, she squandered two match points but ultimately prevailed over the German 11-9 in an exciting conclusion.
After the match, during the on-court interview, the interviewer asked Osaka about her difficulties in finishing the match and the recent birth of her daughter: "Which is easier, closing out a match or getting a newborn to sleep?"
"Normally, I would say closing out the match because it was kind of tough for me today. Shai likes to fight her sleep. So I'd say preferably playing tennis over changing diapers and anything like that," Osaka responded with laughter.

Osaka set for a clash against a former world No. 1

The successful return of the Japanese player to the courts sets the stage for an exciting duel to kick off the year as Osaka takes on the 16th seed Karolina Pliskova (currently No. 38). This will mark the first official encounter of the year between two players (male or female) who have held the No. 1 ranking at some point in their careers. Osaka held the top spot for a total of 25 weeks in 2019, while Pliskova led the ranking for 8 weeks in 2017.
In their head-to-head (h2h) matchups, Pliskova leads 3-2, and all of their clashes have taken place on hard courts. Their last two encounters were in Australia, with Osaka emerging victorious, including the semifinals of the 2019 Australian Open (a tournament ultimately won by Osaka) and later in Brisbane in 2020.

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