Watch: Naomi Osaka steps onto the training ground with the NBA star
Naomi Osaka is definitely back on the court as the four-time Grand Slam champion revealed on social media that she has played tennis with Los Angeles Lakers star Rui Hachimura. Osaka, who announced the birth of their baby girl Shai in July, lives in Los Angeles.
Osaka and Hachimura are among the most popular Japanese athletes and met at a tennis court this week. In a posted video, Osaka joked that Hachimura thought he won a point against her. “Little brother really thought he made it”Osaka captioned her post.
lil bro really thought he had it ???????? pic.twitter.com/FlxOs0U35u — NaomiOsakaNaomi Osaka (@naomiosaka) August 21, 2023
Osaka is aiming for a big comeback
The 25-year-old Osaka is expected to return to professional tennis at the start of the 2024 season.
In recent months, former world No. 1 Osaka has made it clear on numerous occasions that she wants to win Grand Slams again after the pregnancy. In a recent appearance on the Mountaintop Conversation podcast, Osaka shared her perspective now that she’s a mom.
“Actually, I felt a lot of pressure on myself. I always assumed that having a kid was basically the end of my career. I don’t really see many women with kids on the tennis tour.
They’re usually a bit older and it just seems like a really tough strain on your body. I just never really thought I’d go on tour again if I had a kid.
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 made me want to work really hard.
I’ve been playing tennis since I was three years old and I want to enjoy the time I can still play. In my head I was wondering why guys who are younger than me or about my age can have children and then just walk around and say, ‘Everything is fine!’ And it irritated me a lot because I was more successful than them.
They didn’t address the consequences that women face when they need a child, so that kind of eased the pressure for me,” Osaka said on the Mountaintop Conversation podcast.
2023-08-23 22:47:10
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