"My Body Didn't Feel Like the Body that I Was Used to" — Naomi Osaka, on Returning to Tennis After Giving Birth

By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Tuesday February 13, 2024

Naomi Osaka just isn’t even eight months faraway from changing into a mom for the primary time. The 26-year-old gave delivery to her child Shai on July third, and shortly returned to the court docket to start preparations for her “second profession.”

Once we take this into consideration, the best way she is enjoying in the meanwhile is reasonably outstanding.

It took Osaka simply six months to play her first aggressive matches as a mother. One other 5 and a half weeks after that she already has earned her first High-25 win (on Monday in opposition to No.21 Caroline Garcia) and her first back-to-back victories (she took out Petra Martic on Tuesday to achieve the spherical of 16 in Doha).

However the journey has been removed from simple for Osaka. She opened as much as reporters in Doha on Tuesday and confessed that she felt like she was driving a automotive that wasn’t hers.

It’s a intelligent – and sincere – analogy, one which highlights the oft-overlooked problem of postpartum recoveries and the insightful perspective that Osaka brings to her press conferences.

“It has been a extremely powerful journey,” Osaka informed reporters. “I really feel like for me I all the time really feel like or felt like I used to be chasing myself prior to now, and actually it wasn’t actually wholesome to do.

“Like after giving delivery, I really feel like I educated, like, actually shortly, and that was my alternative, after all, and I used to be actually comfortable to try this, however I additionally felt like I am a really large perfectionist, and it is type of powerful when you do not see outcomes as shortly. I give this instance so much: I type of felt like I used to be driving a automotive that wasn’t mine, so my physique did not really feel just like the physique that I used to be used to.”

The four-time Grand Slam champion stated she discovered the expertise surreal at occasions. Going from being within the prime of her life to hardly having the ability to get away from bed. However having her daughter Shai in her life has been a real spark for Osaka. She’s tapped right into a superpower: it’s feeding her inspiration and serving to her discover a true sense of self.

“It was actually a extremely unusual feeling simply to not even have the ability to get away from bed, so I could not do a situp or something,” she admitted. “That type of continued for months. I do not know. It was in that journey I felt like I realized the best way to love myself as I’m now, and it was a extremely particular feeling, as a result of I bought to get up on daily basis and see my daughter and know that I used to be robust sufficient for her to come back into this world. In order that was cool.”

Naomi Osaka says she’s copied Novak Djokovic’s return as a result of he’s one of the best returner on this planet:

“I did change my return — I do not wish to say ‘fashion,’ however I assume kind. I do not know the best way to describe it. Like, earlier than I used to be taking one step, one step, after which leaping in, however… pic.twitter.com/EC7fPuIxbK

— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) February 13, 2024

Returning like…. Nole?

Blessed with some of the deadly serves in ladies’s tennis, Osaka didn’t want to fret an excessive amount of about that aspect of her recreation as she ready along with her group to return to the tour. However she did wish to shore up her return.

Osaka says she had deep discussions with coach Wim Fissette about bettering in that space, and made technical modifications.

“I did change my return – I do not wish to say “fashion,” – however I assume kind,” she stated. “I do not know the best way to describe it.”

Osaka says she is split-stepping in a different way, and taking a web page from the Novak Djokovic playbook.

“Earlier than I used to be taking one step, one step, after which leaping in, however now I am type of simply leaping in with each toes, as a result of apparently Djokovic does that, so why not copy one of the best returner on this planet,” she stated with a smile, including that she is glad along with her progress over the previous few weeks:

“I had a dialog with Wim, and it was simply type of irritating understanding that my serve is likely one of the finest serves, dare I say, on this planet, however I simply actually wished to work on the issues that I do know must be so much higher and the return was certainly one of them. So we have been speaking about it so much within the offseason, and I assume, leaving Melbourne, positively wanted to enhance it.”