Naomi Osaka could quit tennis if daughter asks her to

TOKYO – Former world No. 1 Naomi Osaka cast doubt on her future on Oct 25, saying she would consider quitting tennis if her three-year-old daughter asked her to.

The four-time Grand Slam champion, who represents Japan, took 15 months off from the sport after the birth of her daughter Shai, before returning in 2023.

She is in Tokyo this week to play at the Pan Pacific Open and said becoming a mother 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, now ranked 19th in the world.

“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 duties as a player and a mother was something she was “figuring out little by little”.

She also offered support to American Coco Gauff, who said she had received an “insane” amount of racist abuse on the internet at the China Open earlier in October.

World No. 5 Gauff, who is black, said the experience had been “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 made by the women’s tennis governing body WTA to combat social media abuse did not “ever seem to fully work all the way”.

“I know that some people are like, okay, if it bothers you that much, stay off social media,” she said. “But sometimes that’s the best way to connect with your fans. What I do about it is I don’t really go on social media at all.”

Osaka is seeded seventh in Tokyo and plays Italy’s Jasmine Paolini in the first round.

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

Osaka said she was “not far off” refinding her best form and was “optimistic for next year”. AFP