Naomi Osaka Opens Up About the 'Really Tough' Pressure of Motherhood, Sharing How She Balances It All (Exclusive)

Kayla GrantMon, May 4, 2026 at 1:58 PM UTC

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Naomi Osaka and her daughter ShaiCredit: Robert Prange/Getty; Naomi Osaka/Instagram -

Naomi Osaka opens up about the challenges of balancing motherhood, her tennis career, and personal life

She shares how asking for help and prioritizing mental health have been key to managing pressure

Osaka co-parents her daughter Shai with ex-boyfriend Cordae and says her toddler is her top priority

Naomi Osaka may be able to perform well under pressure while playing tennis, but she admits that as a mom sometimes it gets "really tough."

Speaking with PEOPLE exclusively for her partnership with OLLY, the professional tennis player, 28, is opening up about the stress moms experience. Osaka, whose a brand ambassador for the company and a mom to daughter Shai, 2, tells PEOPLE she "loves" how society's newfound focus on prioritizing mental health is redefining how women approach motherhood.

"I feel like there's always something that makes me feel like moms always want to do everything, and I would say that's a really tough ask that we put on ourselves," she says. "That's why I really love this campaign that I'm doing with OLLY. It's focusing on empowering women to prioritize their mental and physical health."

Naomi Osaka and her daughter ShaiCredit: naomiosaka/Instagram

In addition to being a mom to her toddler daughter, the four-time Grand Slam singles champion is trying to balance her tennis career, personal life and motherhood. Osaka explains that she doesn't aim to strike a perfect balancing between all of the many hats she wears. Instead, she finds comfort in knowing that "everything has its place in my life."

"It's not like I'm setting out in my day to balance them, it just happens," she says. "And for me, I feel like everything has its place in my life. And honestly, I have a really amazing support system, so yeah, I would say they help me balance it really well."

Osaka went on to share more about her return to tennis, and how she experienced an extreme amount of pressure returning to the court. Ultimately, during that journey, the doting mom learned the importance of being able to ask to others for help.

"Honestly, I probably did have or did feel a lot of pressure my first year back playing tennis, just because I wanted to do well and be amazing at everything," she explains. "But then I realized it's okay to ask for help."

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"I'm the type of person that has a lot of pride, and I don't like inconveniencing people, so I tend to hold off until the last second, but I realize that most people want to help. And when you ask for help, it's not an inconvenience," Osaka adds. "It took a long time for me to realize that in my life."

Naomi OsakaCredit: Thomas COEX / AFP via Getty

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The tennis professional welcomed her first child, daughter Shai, in July 2023 with her ex-boyfriend, rapper Cordae. She first revealed she was expecting a baby in January 2023 in a since-deleted Instagram post. Last January, Osaka confirmed that she and the rapper had broken up.

Despite no longer being together, the two proud parents never miss a moment to shine a light on their baby girl. The girl mom candidly opened up to PEOPLE about coparenting experience with her ex. Above all else, Osaka shared that her toddler daughter comes first.

"She makes sure she's the priority. That's the type of personality she has," she says. "She's just the light of so many people's lives, that when she interacts with."

Osaka shares, "Maybe I can say this because I'm her mom and I'm very biased, but I don't know, I just feel like she's just such an incredible joy and it's not a difficult thing to do to prioritize her at all."

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Source: “AOL Sports”