Naomi Osaka has two reasons to celebrate today: a win on one of the sport’s biggest stages and her daughter Shai's birthday. The two-year-old might now know it yet, but her mom is having an epic comeback that she dedicated just to her.
On July 2, Osaka beat Kateřina Siniaková in the second round of Wimbledon, her first time back at the tournament since 2019. After the match, Osaka shared a clip of her game-winning point on Instagram, captioning it simply: “Happy Shai day.” The tennis professional shares the toddler with her ex-boyfriend, rapper Cordae.
During the match, she said she had her daughter's birthday on her mind. "I was really trying to be focused. I was hoping to be back by 7.45 pm, so I don't know why I'm doing these really long answers to your guys' questions," she quipped, per Express. "I woke up on the morning of the match and kind of laid in bed with her, and I felt really grateful to be living the life that I'm living, because I get to travel with her. It really is a blessing for me."
Osaka looked strong and comfortable in her "Wimby Whites." Wimbledon’s dress code dates back to the 1800s, when players were required to wear white to minimize visible sweat. It's become one of the tournament’s defining traditions.
Osaka gave birth to Shai in July 2023 and has been open about how motherhood has shifted her perspective. “Being a mum has changed my life a lot. I think it changed my perspective on a lot of things,” she told ESPN in 2023.
She’s also admitted that coming back hasn’t been easy. After a rocky run at the French Open, where she was struggling with hand blisters, she lost in the second round and left a press conference in tears, “I feel like I should be doing better,” she said at Roland-Garros in May, clearly emotional. She later returned to the mic, apologizing and continuing the conversation. So, Tuesday’s win feels like a turning point.
At 27, Osaka is no stranger to pressure. She was once the world’s No. 1, famously beat Serena Williams at the 2018 U.S. Open, and has four Grand Slam titles under her belt. She's also been a leading voice in the conversation around mental health in sports. In 2021, she pulled out of the French Open and took time away from the court after opening up about her struggles with depression.
She returned a year later and has been rewriting her comeback story since. She’s currently ranked #49, and her new coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, best known for guiding Williams, is helping steer her return. Still, she’s candid about feeling like she’s falling short. “He goes from working with the greatest player ever to, like, ‘What the f**k is this?’” she said after her loss in May.
Osaka has never made it past the third round at Wimbledon, but now she has a shot at doing just that. She’ll face Russia’s Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova this Friday, with a place in the Round of 16 on the line.
Meanwhile, Coco Gauff, who recently won the French Open, was shockingly knocked out in the first round this week by unseeded Dayana Yastremska.