Tennis fans left confused by Osaka comments at having a kid being a career ender, citing Azarenka, Serena Williams and Elina Svitolina

Tuesday, 08 August 2023 at 08:58

Tennis fans have been left confused by the comments made by former world number one Japan’s Naomi Osaka.

The 25-year-old recently made a comment where she stated that she never thought she would return to court to become 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.

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"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.”

Those comments left a few fans confused and they expressed their remarks on social media citing that other women players who have kids are also playing the game.

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Osaka — who was the first-ever Asian player to hold the top spot in the WTA rankings — has been on a sabbatical since September last year and it is not clear when she will actually return to action.

The Osaka-born won four Grand Slams in her short career. Her first major triumph came in 2018 when she defeated America’s Serena Williams in the final in straight sets with a score of 6-2, 6-4.

Her last Grand Slam victory was in 2021 when she defeated America’s Jennifer Brady in straight sets with a score of 6-4, 6-3 to lift the Australian Open title for the second time.

Amy Lundy Dahl

@AmyLundyDahl

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Replying to @TheTennisLetter

Serena, Vika, Svitolina, Clijsters, Margaret Court, Evonne Goolagong… they all would like a word… Unless “their careers were over” ?? 🙄

6:17 PM · Aug 5, 2023

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Azeem Siddiqui

Azeem Siddiqui is a seasoned sports journalist and data analyst with a strong background in both digital media and live sports production.

He began his journalism career working with partners of The New York Times and has since contributed to several leading international sports publications, including Fox Sports Asia, Calciomercato, and GiveMeSport. Since 2023, Azeem has been part of the TennisUpToDate team, where he has played a key role in sustaining the platform’s growth and ensuring tennis fans receive timely and reliable coverage of the sport’s biggest stories.

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