Naomi Osaka Opens Up On Retirement, Racist Abuse And Life As A Tennis Mom

Former world number one Naomi Osaka cast doubt over her long-term tennis future on Sunday, saying she would consider quitting the sport if her three-year-old daughter asked her to. The four-time Grand Slam champion from Japan took a 15-month break from tennis following the birth of her daughter, Shai, before returning to the tour in 2023. Osaka is in Tokyo to compete at the Pan Pacific Open this week and said motherhood has reshaped her priorities. "I wouldn't say I'm part-timing it, but my entire day doesn't consist of that," said the 29-year-old, who is currently ranked world No. 19.

"It's tough. Sometimes I look towards my future and I often wonder how long I'm going to play.

"Because if my daughter did say she didn't want me to travel as much, I'm not the type of person to ignore that."

Osaka also stepped away from tennis in 2021 to prioritise her mental health.

She said her "mindset is changing a lot" with age.

"My daughter is my biggest priority," she said.

"I try my best to put as much energy as I can into tennis.

"If I think about it in certain ways, I'm really proud of where I am now because it's not like I can dedicate my entire time to the sport."

Online Abuse

Osaka said juggling her responsibilities as a player and a mother was something she was "figuring out little by little".

She also expressed support for American star Coco Gauff, who revealed she received an "insane" amount of racist abuse online during this month's China Open.

World No. 5 Gauff, who is Black, described the experience as "kind of draining".

Osaka, whose mother is Japanese and whose father is from Haiti, said "nobody should have to go through that".

"It's sad, but I'm used to it on my end," she said.

"I feel like for me, I've dealt with that my entire career through decisions that I make that seem to make some people upset. It's tough."

Osaka said efforts by the WTA to combat social media abuse do not "ever seem to fully work all the way".

"I know that some people are like, 'OK, if it bothers you that much, stay off social media,'" Osaka said.

"But sometimes that's the best way to connect with your fans.

"From my end, what I do about it is I don't really go on social media at all."

Osaka is seeded seventh in Tokyo and will face Italy's Jasmine Paolini in the first round.

World No. 1 Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan and Philippines sensation Alexandra Eala are also competing.

Osaka said she was "not far off" rediscovering her best form and remained "optimistic for next year"

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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