Naomi Osaka Calls Tennis Her ‘Side Hustle’ as She Opens Up About Being a Mom to 3-Year-Old Daughter Shai
· Yahoo Sports
Credit: TheNaomiOsaka/Instagram
NEED TO KNOW
- Naomi Osaka opened up about balancing motherhood with professional tennis when speaking with media at the 2026 US Open
- The Grand Slam champion called being a mom to daughter Shai her main focus and tennis her “side hustle”
- She returned to competition after giving birth, inspired to show her daughter the sport that shaped her life
Naomi Osaka has already won.
The four-time Grand Slam champion, 28, spoke with reporters ahead of the 2026 US Open women’s singles draw about a newfound perspective on tennis since becoming a mom to her daughter Shai in July 2023.
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“I think people forget my main job is to be a mom. This [tennis] is kind of like my side hustle a little bit. I just happen to be really good at it,” she told the media on Saturday, Aug. 29.
Naomi Osaka and Shai.Credit: TheNaomiOsaka/Instagram
Osaka, who won the US Open in 2018 and 2020, withdrew from the Cincinnati Open due to fatigue, but needed to be with her little girl. Now, she’s back and ready to take on the final Grand Slam of the season.
“I do feel like I’ve played a lot of matches... Honestly, this is the surface that I’m most comfortable with,” she said of the courts at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, N.Y.
Osaka, who welcomed Shai with ex-boyfriend Cordae, noted that her daughter “loves swinging her little mini racket around” despite not hitting the “real court” just yet. She praised the advantages of learning a sport as a kid.
Naomi Osaka in action during practice during Fan Week as part of the 2026 US Open.Credit: Manuela Davies/USTA via Getty
“I feel like it teaches you a lot,” she said of tennis. “I think there’s a lot of characteristics that I have that I like that I know I gained through the sport, and I think sports in general is really good for kids. It teaches discipline and all those other things.”
Ahead of the 2025 US Open, Osaka spoke exclusively with PEOPLE about returning to competition after the birth of her first daughter.
“I was one of those people that thought when I had a kid I would stop playing tennis,” she told PEOPLE last August at a private screening of her documentary, The Second Set.
The documentary intimately chronicles Osaka’s life following Shai’s birth. The film also shows the intricate balance between Osaka’s return to the court and navigating motherhood.
Naomi Osaka in action during practice at the 2026 US Open.Credit: Robert Prange/Getty
Rather than retire, like she initially pondered after Shai’s birth, Osaka had different plans.
“While I was pregnant, I was kind of very inspired,” she said. “I also wanted my daughter to be able to see me play tennis. It was such a big part of my life and I feel like she doesn’t know it, but she definitely inspired me to continue.”
Osaka reached the semifinals of the US Open last year but lost to Amanda Anisimova.
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She will face Anastasia Zakharova in the first round on Monday, Aug. 31.
Read the original article on People