Naomi Osaka’s return to the court after becoming a mother in 2024 fell short of expectations. The four-time Grand Slam champion struggled across all majors, failing to progress beyond the second round in any of them. Disappointing performances followed at key tournaments like Abu Dhabi, Qatar, Indian Wells, Miami, Cincinnati, and China, leaving her title-less for the year. While she improved her ranking from unranked to No. 58, Osaka remains dissatisfied. If this trajectory continues, a premature retirement from the sport cannot be ruled out. Hear from Osaka herself!

Osaka’s set to kick off her 2025 season with the ASB Classic in Auckland. The Australian Open winner of 2019 and 2021 will begin her campaign by playing against Israel’s Lina Glushko. One should expect her to easily win this match to climb up on the WTA rankings list. Also, this event will determine how long she would like to keep playing the sport. It seems her perspective towards life has completely changed, especially after giving birth to Shai last year.

“I don’t think I’m the type of player that would hang around,” she revealed ahead of her Brisbane appearance, as reported by Stuff, dated December 29.

“I have a lot of respect for all the players on tour, but the point of my life that I’m at right now, if I’m not above a certain ranking, I don’t see myself playing for a while.” she said. Explaining why she would really want to do that, she added, “I’d rather spend time with my daughter if I’m not where I think I should be and where I feel like I can be.”

She didn’t really talk about where exactly she would like to see herself in the rankings, but motherhood seems to have altered her approach to life. It’s evident from her revelation made earlier this year.

“My world turned into a completely different world in one night,” she said in an interaction with Glamour, back in January 2024. “People talk about childbirth, but it’s different once you experience it. I just feel like I can do anything and nothing will bother me, and the pain tolerance has definitely increased a lot from that. I just don’t really care about other people’s opinions anymore,” she added.

In 2024, Naomi Osaka compiled a 22-17 singles record, highlighted by quarterfinal appearances in Doha and s-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands. “I think 2024 humbled me, but I also feel like I grew a lot,” she said. “I worked way harder than I’ve ever worked before. So in that, I guess it was very painful to not get the results I wanted, but I feel like I’m growing and learning and I am really excited for this year (2025). I played really good matches…So I’m glad that I was able to give people memories as well.” Remember Osaka’s French Open second-round match against Iga Swiatek?

But this isn’t really the first time she’s expressed her inner voice after turning into a mother.

Naomi Osaka reflects on how motherhood is now playing a key role in her life

Last week, the Japanese tennis sensation interacted with Harper’s Bazaar Australia and shared all that she’s learned after giving birth to Shai. Opening up on her hardships, she revealed the one key factor that pushed her forward. It’s none other than her daughter. “Right now, freedom for me is being able to spend time with my daughter, to see joy in her eyes, and to know that, as long as I am there for her, and a role model for her, then no other outside voice matters,” she said.

On her comeback, Naomi Osaka had to face disappointment after going through unwanted injuries. She hurt her back during the China Open in October. As a result, she was forced to withdraw from many subsequent events, ending her season early. Lately, she’s been a recovery mode, sharing her progress on social media.

In the last few months, she has also made a huge change in her team. After parting ways with former trainer Wim Fissette, she decided to collaborate with Serena Williams’ ex-coach, Patrick Mouratoglou. Under him, she’s yet to fully unleash herself in the upcoming season. He’s expected to guide her towards the top spot once again.

But being a mother, however, her priorities have now drastically changed. Especially following her long losing streak, as she failed to win a single WTA event in the season gone by. Has it reduced her passion for the racket sport? Well, sort of.

“I have found that after becoming a mum, my question has shifted to a really simple one, which is, win or lose, am I still really loving playing the game?” she revealed.

For now, she would like to focus on the ASB Classic in Auckland. After seven years, she’s set to mark her return to the event. Not to mention she’s never won the trophy in Auckland. Will she change this pattern this time?