Naomi Osaka’s season has been a rollercoaster—tough matches, unexpected setbacks, and injuries have kept her off the courts for much of it. But if you thought that was all she’s been navigating, think again! Behind the scenes, the Japanese star took on a massive personal challenges: her post-pregnancy journey with body weight. In a heartfelt post, Osaka opened up about the struggles and triumph she’s experienced revealing the resilience she’s developed over time.
The Japanese sensation played her last tournament at the China Open where she withdrew from the fourth round against Coco Gauff owing to a back injury. As she spends some time off the court due to her injury woes, she seems to be more active on social media than ever and is sharing sensational updates about her life. In one such emotional update, Osaka revealed how difficult it was for her to overcome her struggles with her weight after giving birth to daughter Shai in July last year.
Taking to her Instagram, Osaka shared a string of pictures of herself which reflected her transition from increased weight due to pregnancy to a completely fit form over the past year. “I wanted to say “body changes throughout the year” but it actually means a lot more to me than that,” the mom wrote. “There were moments this year where I felt really ashamed of my body, (for example when I had to wear form fitting tennis clothes lol). I was also constantly struggling with this overwhelming urge to “snapback”, seeing other mom’s seemingly shrink immediately after having their baby was an expectation I began to put on myself,” the star player continued. She also highlighted how this self-comparison impacted her personality and added to her struggles.
“Most weeks would feel similar to the previous week and the weight didn’t disappear overnight so it was a bit disheartening. To get to the point I’m at now was definitely a journey, an adventure I know that I’m still embracing.” Osaka added. The Japanese star took a 15-month hiatus from the sport due to her pregnancy and returned to the court only this year. And as she shared this heartfelt post, she did not fail to acknowledge how her body supported her through thick and thin.
Concluding the post, she wrote, “My body has done so much for me and adapted so well to the tasks that I’m asking from it, I’m extremely grateful and thankful. While typing this I realized that if I had to title this post it would be super long and go like- “thank you body for the journey over the past year, I’m excited to learn more about what you’re capable of in the years to come ❤️.” This is not the first time when Osaka highlighted how her pregnancy impacted her and opened up about the postpartum challenges.
Naomi Osaka faced serious challenges throughout the year. She witnessed some shocking exits as early as in the qualifiers as witnessed at the Cincinnati Masters and failed drastically even in Grand Slams. Speaking about these challenges after losing to Ashlyn Krueger in Cincinnati, Osaka highlighted the difficulties she was facing after her pregnancy.
Taking to her Instagram, Osaka shared a note and wrote, “My biggest issue is that I don’t feel like I’m in my body. It’s a strange feeling, missing balls I shouldn’t miss, hitting balls softer than I remember I used to.” Osaka added she hopes this feeling is just a “small phase,” and the only feeling she can compare her current state to is from her “postpartum” phase. But despite the challenges, the star player has continued to demonstrate perseverance and resilience, and she wishes to pass on this trait to her daughter as well.
Naomi Osaka’s woes and her battle with them highlight the perseverance of the star player and demonstrate the hard work and effort she puts into overcoming the challenges. But the WTA star does not wish to limit these traits to herself and made a sensational wish to pass them on to her daughter, Shai, as well.
In the same post in which Osaka opened up about her postpartum struggles in August, she underlined the importance of hard work. “I want to teach my daughter that she can achieve so many things with hard work and perseverance. I want her to aim for the stars and never think her dreams are too big. Nothing in life is promised but I realized I can promise myself to work as hard as I can and give it my best shot till the very end,” Osaka wrote.
One thing is clear from all this – the 4-time Grand Slam champion is determined to continue working despite all the roadblocks. And it will be interesting to see if she can once again dazzle the courts with her prowess and return to her dominant self.
