"There’s so much guilt, you have to leave your daughter": Kim Clijsters hopes Naomi Osaka uses comeback to shed light on mental health struggle as a mother

As two-time champion Naomi Osaka prepares for her return to the 2024 Australian Open, former World No.1 Kim Clijsters hopes the Japanese superstar can successfully cope with being a mother in addition to life as a professional tennis player.

Osaka gave birth to her first child in July 2023, and will be playing in her first Grand Slam since becoming a mother. The four-time Grand Slam champion made her return to competitive tennis in Brisbane last week, winning her opening round match before falling to Karolina Pliskova in the second round.

The retired Belgian tennis player is the only woman in WTA history to have returned to professional tennis after giving birth and win a Grand Slam. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that Clijsters would like to see Osaka highlight the mental struggles of being a mother while competing on the WTA circuit.

"Naomi Osaka, what she’s done for mental health, the awareness of it, now as a mum I hope she’s going to be open, too; open to sharing some of the mental situations that you deal with," said Clijsters in an interview with The Telegraph. "There’s so much guilt - at least I went through - because you have to leave your daughter or son to go to practice."

However, Osaka will not be the only mother returning to the sport at the Australian Open, as former champions Caroline Wozniacki and Angelique Kerber will also be making comebacks at the event.