Naomi Osaka: "Never thought if I had a kid, I'd go back on tour"

Japanese tennis star Naomi Osaka recently spoke about the uncertainty surrounding her tennis career post pregnancy and how it was different for her men contemporaries.

Osaka gave birth to her daughter Shai on July 7. The Japanese has been out of the Tour since announcing her pregnancy in January this year. She is expected to return to tennis early next year.

The four-time Grand Slam champion recently appeared on the Mountaintop Conversations podcast hosted by retired sprinter Allyson Felix. Osaka opened up about her insecurities regarding her career, saying that she always thought having a child would mean the end of one's tennis career.

"Actually, there was a lot of pressure I felt for me. For me, I always had the assumption that if you have a kid, it’s basically the end of your career. I don’t really see a lot of women on the tennis tour with kids. They are usually a bit older, and it just seems like a very hard taxing on your body," she said.

Osaka stated that on the contrary, having a child has made her appreciate the sport and the career she has built so far.

"I just never really thought if I had a kid, I’d go back on the tour. But I feel like it was a magical moment for me. It just made me think of all the things I love and appreciate and it just made me really want to work hard… I’ve played tennis since I was three and I want to appreciate the time that I can still play," she added.

The 25-year-old further mentioned feeling annoyed by the fact that men faced no such repercussions.

"In my head, I wondered why guys younger than me or around the same age as me are able to have kids and they’re kind of just walking around like ‘Everything is fine!’ And it irritated me a lot because I was more accomplished than them. They weren’t dealing with any of the repercussions that women have if they need to have a kid so that kind of softened the pressure for me," Naomi Osaka said.

"You're the one they're watching" - Allyson Felix praises Naomi Osaka for inspiring young generation

Naomi Osaka in Paris: 2022 French Open

Allyson Felix appreciated Naomi Osaka for her decision to continue playing tennis after giving birth. During the Mountaintop Conversations podcast, the seven-time Olympic gold medalist praised Osaka for setting an example for the upcoming generation by handling the pressure of pregnancy.

"You're creating change right now. So all of the pressures that you felt, what you're doing right now, the generation coming up, they won't have to deal with it as much because you are that role model now," Felix said.

Felix opined that Osaka's efforts will eradicate the notion of pregnancy indicating the end of a woman's playing career.

"Like you are the one who they're watching and they're seeing like 'oh wait this is possible, this doesn't have to be the end of my playing career. I can still go on to greater heights," she added.