Naomi Osaka ready for ‘second chapter’ as Victoria Azarenka praises athlete-mothers for ‘breaking stereotypes’
Naomi Osaka is ready for her “second chapter” as her return to tennis at the Brisbane International gets closer.
The 26-year-old will play on the WTA Tour for the first time since September 2022, and six months after giving birth to her daughter Shai.
Osaka, who will play Germany’s Tamara Korpatsch in her opening match in Brisbane on Monday, January 1, has discussed how giving birth has impacted her goals.
“I think I consider this a second chapter,” she said. “Someone said, there was a half time and now we’re on the second half.
“For me, she’s [Shai] affected my goals in a positive way. I think I want to achieve a lot more and I feel like it’s better to have big goals and achieve half of them rather than set little goals and surpass what you’ve dreamed of. I think it’s better to have big dreams.”
Osaka took significant periods of time away from the court in 2021 and 2022 to protect her mental health.
‘I feel a lot stronger’ – Osaka ready for ‘second chapter’ in comeback at Brisbane
But the four-time Grand Slam winner feels she has undergone “character development” since becoming a mother.
“I think I’m a lot more open-minded and a lot more patient,” she explained. “But also I feel a lot stronger, I don’t know physically, but I think Shai definitely helped me with the way I view things.
“I don’t know, I’m just excited to be back and actually I haven’t worn headphones around the site since I’ve been back, so I think that’s character development. It’s just really nice to see everyone again.”
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She has become just the latest mother on the WTA Tour, joining stars such as Victoria Azarenka, Elina Svitolina, Tatjana Maria, Taylor Townsend and Angelique Kerber.
Azarenka, a two-time Grand Slam winner, gave birth to her son in 2016. She has welcomed the addition of a new mother on the tennis circuit.
“I’m very excited to see players are coming back,” Azarenka said. “I’ve said it a few years ago already. I think that we broke the stereotype that you can’t play tennis or be an athlete and have family. This definitely has been broken and it’s actually evolving more and more.
“The testament of that is how many players are feeling comfortable and confident coming back and continuing being on tour.
“I believe that we still have a lot of a lot more growth to do in that space, to continue to push forward being a women’s leading sport.”
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