Naomi Osaka: "Every day that I wake up and I get new videos of my daughter Shai, I feel refreshed and I feel this is why I’m playing"

Now on her comeback trail, Naomi Osaka has let the world know that she has hardly felt any mental exhaustion at all in the last few weeks, mainly thanks to her daughter Shai.

After a sub-par 2022 season, the 26-year-old took a maternity break during the 2023 season, during which she and her boyfriend Cordae welcomed their firstborn into the world. 2024 saw the Japanese return to action, starting at the Brisbane International and then going to the Australian Open.

This week, the four-time Grand Slam champion is in Abu Dhabi for the WTA 500 event, her third tournament of the year. Despite the hectic traveling involved, Osaka asserted that waking up and watching new videos of Shai is enough to make her feel refreshed once again.

Naomi Osaka further added that spending time with her daughter completely cleared her mind, cleansing her of any mental exhaustion and leaving her full of renewed optimism.

“I don’t know how to describe this but every day that I wake up and I get new videos of [my daughter] Shai, I feel refreshed and I feel like, this is why I’m playing,” Naomi Osaka said in a recent interview with the National.

“And when I’m able to go back home and spend a lot of time with her, it completely clears my mind. So I haven’t felt mentally exhausted or anything. I don’t know what’s going to happen later in the season but I’m feeling pretty optimistic about it," she added.

"As someone who is very curious" - Naomi Osaka on how she would like to be remembered

Naomi Osaka will take on Danielle Collins in her Abu Dhabi opener

During the interview, Naomi Osaka also spoke about how she would like to be remembered, stating that she wanted to be known as someone who was curious. At the same time, the Japanese jokingly added that she hoped to not get in too much trouble because of her sense of curiosity.

“As someone who is very curious, and hopefully that curiosity doesn’t get me in too much trouble," Naomi Osaka said.

Meanwhile, the former World No. 1 has been drawn to face former Australian Open runner-up Danielle Collins in her opener at Abu Dhabi. The winner of the clash will take on Elena Rybakina in the second round.

Also present in the draw are former French Open champion Barbora Krejcikova, former US Open champion Emma Raducanu, Ons Jabeur, Maria Sakkari, and Beatriz Haddad Maia.