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Naomi Osaka is going to have an extra special guest at the US OpenThe tennis player revealed that her daughter Shai, 2, will be attending her first matchOsaka welcomed her daughter with ex-boyfriend Cordae in 2023
Naomi Osaka will have someone extra special cheering her on at this year’s US Open.
While speaking with Today about her new documentary, Naomi Osaka: The Second Set, the famed tennis player, 27, revealed that her daughter, Shai, 2, is going to attend the US Open.
“It would be her first time at a tennis match, so I don’t know how loud she’s going to be,” Osaka said.
While the proud mom, who shares her daughter with ex boyfriend Cordae, is typically a private person, she told Today that she was using this documentary as a “little time capsule” for her daughter.
“I think for me, honestly, one of my biggest motivators was, of course, for people to understand the story of motherhood. But, also I kind of wanted a little time capsule for my daughter to watch when she grows up.”
After welcoming her daughter in July 2023, Osaka also vowed to get back to tennis after welcoming her firstborn. Just six weeks after giving birth to Shai, Osaka was back on the grind and shared her intense workouts on social media.
“2023 will be a year that’ll be full of lessons for me and I hope I’ll see you guys in the start of the next one cause I’ll be at Aus 2024. Love you all infinitely,” she wrote on Instagram.
Naomi Osaka and her daughter Shai.
naomiosaka/Instagram
Osaka has opened up about the support it takes to be a mom and an athlete in 2024. At the time, she debuted a video announcing her partnership with Bobbie, the mom-founded pediatric nutrition company.
In the video, she rocked a baby as she began talking about the hard work behind her return to tennis. “You know what pushes me? You,” she said as the camera panned to Osaka, whose daughter Shai’s name could be seen on a necklace worn by the new mom.
“Parents, we push harder,” Osaka said as the video closes out.
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In the caption, she wrote, “Being a parent is hard. As a professional athlete, I am no stranger to hard work or early mornings, but the last 6 months as a new mom has given me a whole new appreciation and understanding of what parents do every single day.”
“Parents, moms in particular, are historically told that babies will be a barrier to personal goals — that they will stop you from achieving your dreams. But I have discovered that Shai is my ultimate motivator; she makes me want to achieve greatness,” Osaka continued.
“I’m proud of myself for continuing to chase my dreams while also being a mom,” she added. “And I recognize that I’m fortunate to have the support to return to work this month on my own terms, in my own time. So many American parents don’t have that choice. But we ALL deserve it.”
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