“Didn’t know who I was”
Tennisstar talks about depression after the birth of daughter
26.08.2025 – 06:49 a.m.Reading time: 1 min.
Naomi Osaka was already able to win four Grand Slam titles in her career. Then she became a mother – and problems followed.
Tennis star Naomi Osaka, in her own words, lived through a difficult time after the birth of her daughter. “To be honest, I also had extremely strong postpartums (depression) and didn’t really know how to deal with it,” she said, how several media quoted her, in her documentary “Naomi Osaka: The Second Set”.
The four-time Grand Slam tournament winner became a mother in July 2023. In the year after the birth of her daughter Shai, she returned to the professional tour.
Before the birth, they would have warned many people before the time afterwards. That is why she thought that she could avoid symptoms, reported the 27 -year -old Japanese. But that was not the case.
“I didn’t know who I was. It felt like everyone else had continued and would lead a colorful life. In the meantime my world was caught in gray,” Osaka is quoted. However, she doesn’t want her daughter to think that her birth was not the greatest gift for her.
Osaka had already reported depression and anxiety in 2021 and later took a longer break to protect her mental health.
The former world ranking listener is currently competing with the US Open in New York. On Tuesday she will be dealing with Belgian Greet Minnen in the first round.