(Corrects headline to add dropped word ‘weighs’)
March 22 (Reuters) – Former world number one Naomi Osaka said she is considering how best to balance her tennis schedule with motherhood after a 7-5 6-4 loss to Australia’s Talia Gibson in her opening match on Saturday.
Osaka returned to the tour in 2024 after a 15-month break following the birth of her daughter and reached the U.S. Open semi-finals last year. She withdrew ahead of her scheduled third-round match at the Australian Open in January due to an abdominal injury.
The four-time Grand Slam champion lost to world number one Aryna Sabalenka in the Indian Wells pre-quarterfinals this month before another early exit in Miami.
Asked about her plans for the clay season, Osaka said she is weighing the demands of the tour with the time she wants to spend at home.
“I feel like this also is a dilemma for me,” Osaka told reporters.
“For me, my daughter is very important, and I want to be a mom. I want to be the best mom I can, but sometimes I feel like I know what I have to do to become a really good player, and it’s very difficult.
“Because for me, I want to win titles and I want to be the best player I can, but if I have to sacrifice having a lot of time with my daughter, I’d rather not do it.
“I’m not going to play Charleston. I hope I can play Madrid, Rome and then, obviously, the French Open.”
Gibson, 21, will play Iva Jovic in the next round on Sunday.
(Reporting by Karan Prashant Saxena in Bengaluru)
AloJapan.com