Naomi Osaka has opened up on the difficulty of giving birth as she prepares to make her long-awaited return to tennis, describing it as the worst pain of her life.
The four-time Grand Slam champion is set to make her comeback in Brisbane at the end of the month after spending a year out of the sport to give birth to her first child.
Less than six months since she welcomed daughter Shai into the world with her rapper boyfriend Cordae, Osaka will return at the warmup event for the Australian Open before taking to the court for the big one later in January.
And as she prepares to do so, Osaka has lifted the lid on her experience in labor and the unrivaled pain it brought her.
‘I do remember feeling in that moment, this is the worst pain of my life,’ she said in an interview with InStyle.
And as she prepares to do so, Osaka has lifted the lid on her experience in labor and the unrivaled pain it brought her.
‘I do remember feeling in that moment, this is the worst pain of my life,’ she said in an interview with InStyle.
And I know that if I get through this, then everything else will feel very easy.’
She added: ‘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.’
Osaka admits in the interview that she initially had concerns over whether she would be a good enough mom to Shai before something clicked.
‘Moms are superheroes,’ she said. ‘But they’re also people.’
The former world No 1 has been with Cordae since 2019, but after giving birth to Shai the couple sparked fears that they had split just months into their journey as parents.
Osaka has shut down that speculation, nevertheless, after revealing about their relationship: ‘We 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.
‘At the end of the day, we both want what’s best for Shai.’
‘She is so pure,’ she said about her five-month-old daughter. ‘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.’
As well as achieve success on the tennis court, Osaka has also spoken candidly about her battles with mental health in recent years.
The Japanese star withdrew from the 2021 French Open, revealing that she has previously struggled with depression after her refusal to give post-match interviews had been criticized.
Ahead of her highly-anticipated comeback, Osaka still prides herself on being a mental-health advocate, urging people to speak openly about their issues.
‘I just want people to talk about [mental health] and not feel ashamed,’ she said. ‘Normalize it.’
