Four-time Grand Slam singles champion Naomi Osaka just opened up about something that might surprise her millions of followers. The four-time Grand Slam champion, who once posted freely on social media, now finds herself hesitating. Her latest confession reveals how fame can change even the most basic parts of an athlete’s life.
What Has Been Making Naomi Osaka Anxious About Social Media?
Via her Threads handle, Naomi Osaka recently shared her evolving relationship with social media posting. “Dude I’m going through my IG and chuckling because I really used to post and not care,” she wrote. “Now I got anxiety even posting a story lol,” the 27-year-old Japanese star revealed.
This shift in comfort level is particularly notable for Osaka, who was ranked among the highest-earning female athletes in the world. She also maintains an incredibly popular Instagram presence with over 2.8 million followers, regularly sharing updates about her tennis career and fashion interests on the platform.
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The timing of Osaka’s revelation comes just days after she announced a coaching change. She recently split from Patrick Mouratoglou, best known for his 10-year partnership with American tennis legend Serena Williams.
Osaka began working with the legendary coach in September 2024, trying to recapture the form that brought her four Grand Slam titles and the World No. 1 ranking.
“Merci Patrick,” Osaka wrote after their split. “It was such a great experience learning from you.” She continued, “Wishing you nothing but the best. You are one of the coolest people l’ve ever met and I’m sure I’ll see you around.”
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Osaka stepped away from professional tennis in the fall of 2022, following a first-round loss at the US Open and a Round of 16 exit at the Pan Pacific Open. The break extended when she announced her pregnancy in January 2023, welcoming her daughter in July 2023.
Her return to the WTA tour began in January 2024, though she initially struggled to recapture the dominance that brought her seven tour titles, including four Grand Slams. However, Osaka has shown steady improvement in her climb back up the rankings, currently sitting at No. 49 on the WTA chart.
“One thing I’m looking forward to is for my kid to watch one of my matches and tell someone, ‘that’s my mom'”
Naomi Osaka announces she is pregnant and will be back on the tennis court for the Australian Open in 2024
(via @naomiosaka) pic.twitter.com/1UK9RTr2a9
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) January 11, 2023
The 2024 season showed promising signs of her resurgence. She reached quarterfinals in Qatar and ‘s-Hertogenbosch, besides a fourth-round finish in Rome. At the French Open, she came remarkably close to upsetting former World No. 1 Iga Świątek, actually holding match point before falling short. Unfortunately, a back injury forced her to end the 2024 season earlier than planned.
The 2025 campaign has brought both breakthroughs and setbacks for Osaka. She reached her first final since 2022 at the Auckland Open but was forced to retire with an abdominal injury. At the Australian Open, she advanced to the third round before another retirement due to injury concerns.
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Despite these challenges, Osaka achieved a significant milestone after a solid Miami run. She entered the WTA 125 Saint-Malo tournament and captured the title, marking her first championship since 2021 and her first victory on clay courts.
Currently, the Japanese continues her campaign at the National Bank Open in Montreal, and has advanced to the third round with an impressive win over 13th seed Liudmila Samsonova.
