Naomi Osaka shared sweet details about her life as a tennis mom during her pre-championship press conference at Wimbledon 2025. The Japanese tennis star talked about how having her daughter Shai at the tournament changes her daily routine and has put her in “mom mode”.
The four-time Grand Slam champion returned to Wimbledon with her one-year-old daughter by her side. Osaka’s honest comments about balancing motherhood with professional tennis gave fans a glimpse into her new life since becoming a mom in July 2023.
How Shai’s Presence at Wimbledon Changes Everything for Naomi Osaka
At the 2025 Wimbledon press conference, Osaka spoke honestly about how she balances motherhood with professional tennis. She made it clear that her daughter Shai’s presence has a big impact on her daily life at the tournament.
Osaka explained that she is now in “mom mode,” focusing on her preparation along with helping Shai adjust to the new setting. “I feel like I’ve entered my mom mode because Shai is here, so I’ve just been getting her used to the jet lag and everything,” Osaka said.
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She talked about how her routine has changed since Shai started traveling with her. “I’ll probably go to sleep at 8:00 p.m bacause that’s when she goes to sleep so I think we both wear each other out and then bright and early at 7:30 we’ll both wake up,” the Japanese explained. This new schedule helps them both manage jet lag and stay energized for the day ahead.
Osaka also discussed her preparation for Wimbledon and how she feels about returning to the grass courts. She expressed excitement about competing and said: “I would say I’m feeling pretty good. I was able to play a couple matches on grass so I’m happy about that.”
Naomi Osaka’s Wimbledon Performances and Recent Form
Osaka has played at Wimbledon several times before, with her best results coming in 2017 and 2018, reaching the third round both years. After a break from Wimbledon, she returned in 2024 and reached the second round, losing to Emma Navarro.
Her recent form has not been strong, suffering early exits at multiple tournaments. At the French Open in 2025, Osaka was eliminated in the first round by Paula Badosa in a three-set match. She again faced first round elimination at the German Open against Liudmila Samsonova.
Osaka won a title at the WTA 125k in Saint-Malo against Kaja Juvan as she beat the Slovenian 6-1, 7-5 to lift her first title since 2021.
Kinda ironic to win my first trophy back on the surface that I thought was my worst. That’s one of my favorite things about life though, there’s always room to grow and evolve. Thanks to everyone accompanying me on this journey, I know it’s turbulent but it’s also really fun and… pic.twitter.com/oR5OY5pTJN
— NaomiOsaka大坂なおみ (@naomiosaka) May 4, 2025
Right before coming to Wimbledon, Osaka reached the Round of 16 at Bad Homburg Open but couldn’t reach the quarterfinals as she lost 4-6, 4-6 to Navarro. The Japanese is set to face Talia Gibson in the first round of Wimbledon 2025 on June 30, 2025.
