Naomi Osaka Gets Honest About Motherhood, Parenting with Cordae — and Her Big Return to Tennis

The new mom opens up about her experiences with daughter Shai and her perspective as she returns to tennis

Naomi Osaka is getting candid about motherhood.

Appearing on the cover of InStyle's latest digital issue, the new mom and two-time US Open champion opened up about what her life is like as she returns to professional tennis and balances it with raising daughter Shai, 5 months, with Cordae.

Though the athlete is in her prime at 25, she admits, “I don't think people know how hard pregnancy is; no one really talks about it as much."

"Going into it, you kind of think, 'Oh, it's this beautiful journey,' but it's kind of rough," she tells the outlet.

In the beginning, Osaka says, "There was a huge adjustment period. It was life-changing in a day. From the moment that you come back home from the hospital, everything's different.”

Osaka doesn't shy away from calling childbirth "the worst pain of my life" and recalls thinking, "I know that if I get through this, then everything else will feel very easy.”

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Related: Naomi Osaka Opens Up About Missing Tennis and Feeling ‘Lonely’ During Her Pregnancy

Osaka learned her struggles were due, in part, to her umbilical cord being wrapped around Shai's neck. Today, however, the 5-month-old is doing great.

"She is so pure," Osaka says of Shai, "Like every time she sees me, no matter what, she'll smile. And she's going in the phase now that she'll kind of reach out her arms a little bit."

On parenting with Cordae, Osaka says the two have "built a really good foundation."

"I don't know if it's because he's just an easygoing guy, but I think we just respect each other's opinions. And if we disagree on something, we talk it out," she says. "At the end of the day, we both want what's best for Shai."

As both an athlete and a mom, Osaka is looking at tennis with new eyes.

“I've stepped away from tennis before, but this time, it was the longest duration of my life. And I think it kind of gave me a perspective like, 'Hey, you're not going to play tennis forever. And you kind of have to cherish the years that you can play,'" she notes. 

"I do want to be a good role model for Shai, and I want her to see that this was an important chapter in my life."

Osaka also acknowledges her privilege in choosing the timeline for her return to her career, sharing, "I’m fortunate to have the support to go back to work on my own terms, in my own time."

She continues, "So many American parents don’t have that choice, but we all deserve it. It has definitely motivated me to speak up about the lack of paid leave and to advocate for new moms in this country.”

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