Naomi Osaka opened up about the unexpected challenges she’s been facing on her return to tennis after giving birth in July last year. The four-time Grand Slam champion, who has always been candid about her struggles both on and off the court, has now shared her deep concerns about how her body has responded to the physical demands of professional tennis following her pregnancy.
Osaka’s post came shortly after she failed to make the main draw of the Cincinnati Open, losing to American Ashlyn Krueger in the second round of qualifying. The disappointment was evident, but what struck a chord with her followers was her honest reflection on the strange and disorienting experience of not feeling like herself on the court. “In a weird way I’ve come to appreciate losses,” she wrote, acknowledging the role they play in the journey of any athlete. However, this time, the losses weren’t just a matter of skill or strategy—they were a sign that something deeper was amiss.
The 26-year-old Osaka expressed that her biggest issue wasn’t simply losing matches, but the unsettling feeling that she no longer feels at home in her own body. She described a disconnection, noting how she’s been missing shots she would typically nail, and how her once-powerful strokes now feel alarmingly soft. “It’s a strange feeling, missing balls I shouldn’t miss, hitting balls softer than I remember I used to,” she shared, illustrating the mental and physical strain she’s been enduring.
This disorientation is compounded by a sense of frustration and confusion. Osaka likened the experience to postpartum challenges, drawing a parallel between the identity shift she’s undergoing now and the one many women face after childbirth. “The only feeling I could liken how I feel right now to is being postpartum,” she admitted, underscoring the emotional and physical toll this transition has taken on her.
For Osaka, who has been playing tennis since she was three years old, the racquet has always felt like an extension of her hand. The sudden change in how her body responds has left her questioning why something that once came so naturally now feels almost foreign. “This should be as simple as breathing to me but it’s not,” she lamented, highlighting the psychological burden of not being able to perform at her expected level.
Despite the challenges, Osaka is determined not to give up. She reflected on the importance of perseverance and hard work, values she wants to instill in her daughter. “I realized that I can promise myself to work as hard as I can and give it my best shot till the very end,” she wrote.
During her pregnancy, Osaka was perhaps unaware of the profound physical and mental changes that women undergo both during and after pregnancy. She was optimistic and ambitious, once even declaring her goal to win eight more Grand Slam titles and a gold medal at the Paris Olympics. While many WTA moms have returned to the tour with remarkable success—Elina Svitolina, for example, has recently made an impressive comeback, and Tatjana Maria reached her first major semifinal after giving birth to two children—it’s important to remember that every woman’s journey is unique, and expectations should be tempered with realism.
Since returning to the tour at the start of the 2024 season, Osaka has managed to collect a number of notable wins, but her overall results have been less than stellar. In Grand Slams, she reached the second round twice and was eliminated in the opening round once. At the Olympic Games, she faced a disappointing first-round exit, losing to fellow mom Angelique Kerber.
Despite expressing alarming concerns like “I don’t feel like I’m in my body” and “Internally, I hear myself screaming, ‘What the hell is happening?'”, Osaka remains determined to push through and focus on preparing for the US Open. She recognizes that these challenges might be part of a temporary phase, influenced by the constant transitions between different surfaces like clay, grass, and hard courts.
