Emily Carter
Naomi Osaka is a four-time Grand Slam singles champion, with wins at the US Open in 2018 and 2020, and the Australian Open in 2019 and 2021. She has taken several breaks from tennis to prioritise her mental health and took maternity leave in 2023 after giving birth to her daughter, Shai. Osaka returned to competition in 2024 but has struggled to rediscover her best form, and has spoken openly about feeling disconnected from her body and the game following childbirth. Despite her recent challenges, Osaka remains one of the world's most marketable athletes, with the highest annual income of any female athlete in 2020.
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What You'll Learn
Naomi Osaka's postpartum mental health struggles
Naomi Osaka is a four-time Grand Slam tennis champion, renowned for her powerful playing style. She is also known for her openness about her mental health struggles, particularly her experiences of postpartum depression. Osaka became a mother in July 2023, and she has candidly shared her postpartum mental health journey through her Emmy Award-nominated media company, Hana Kuma, and her podcast series, 'Can't Wait to Hear from You'.
Osaka has discussed feeling disconnected from her body and her game after giving birth. She has likened this disconnection to her experiences of postpartum depression, expressing feelings of shame and pressure to "snap back" to her pre-childbirth body. She has also spoken about the mental toll of managing expectations and the challenges of balancing her tennis career with motherhood. In an Instagram post, Osaka shared her thoughts and feelings about her postpartum experiences:
> "My biggest issue currently is that I don't feel like I'm in my body. It's a strange feeling, missing balls I shouldn't miss, hitting balls softer than I remember I used to... Internally, I hear myself screaming, 'What the hell is happening?!?' This should be as simple as breathing to me, but it's not."
Osaka's honesty about her mental health has resonated with many, shedding light on the mental and emotional challenges new mothers face, especially those with demanding careers. Her willingness to embrace her vulnerabilities has encouraged open discussions about mental health and self-appreciation, working to erase the stigma surrounding mental health struggles. Osaka's openness has sparked important conversations about the pressures that athletes face and the importance of self-care and support systems.
Despite her struggles, Osaka remains determined to persevere and teach her daughter that hard work and perseverance can lead to achieving dreams. She continues to work towards rediscovering her best form and feeling like herself again on and off the tennis court.
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Osaka's ranking and performance in 2025
As of August 2025, Naomi Osaka is a Japanese professional tennis player ranked No. 1 in women's singles by the WTA for 25 weeks, starting in January 2019. She was the first Asian player to hold the top ranking in singles. Osaka has won seven WTA Tour-level singles titles, including four majors: two each at the Australian Open and the US Open. She is the first Japanese player to win a major singles title.
Osaka has lived and trained in the United States since she was three years old. She first came to prominence at age 16 when she defeated former US Open champion Samantha Stosur in her WTA Tour debut at the 2014 Stanford Classic. In 2016, she reached her first WTA final at the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo and entered the top 50 of the WTA rankings. She had a breakout season in 2018, posting a 40-20 record resulting in a No. 5 ranking (her first Top 10 season), up from No. 68 in 2017. She won the first two titles of her career that year, at Indian Wells and Beijing, defeating No. 1-ranked players Halep and Barty, respectively.
In 2020, Osaka ranked eighth among athletes in endorsement income and had the highest-ever annual income of any female athlete. She was named one of the 2020 Sports Illustrated Sportspersons of the Year for her activism, particularly during her US Open championship run. She was also included on Time's annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2019, 2020, and 2021. Osaka was the 2021 Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year.
Osaka took a 15-month break from tennis to give birth to her daughter Shai in July 2023. She returned to play in 2024, reaching the quarterfinals at Doha and 's-Hertogenbosch and the round of 16 at Rome and Beijing. Osaka reached the finals in Auckland in 2025 but lost to Daria Kasatkina.
Osaka's recent performance at Wimbledon was described as "not at all what she had hoped." She once again exited in the third round, losing to British star Emma Raducanu in straight sets. However, Osaka cruised into the fourth round of the National Bank Open, defeating Jessica Pegula, the two-time defending champion.
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Osaka's aggressive playing style
Naomi Osaka is a Japanese professional tennis player who is known for her aggressive playing style. She was born in 1997 in Chūō-ku, Osaka, Japan, to a Haitian-American father and a Japanese mother. Osaka moved to the US with her family when she was three years old and started training in tennis with her older sister, Mari.
Osaka's playing style is characterised by her powerful serve, which can reach speeds of up to 200 kilometres per hour (124-125 mph), making her one of the ten fastest servers on record in WTA history. She is an aggressive baseline player who likes to control the game from the back court. Osaka's raw power, especially on her forehand and serve, allows her to hit high numbers of winners. However, her key to success is her ability to win long rallies.
Osaka's aggressive style of play has brought her significant success in her career. She broke into the upper echelon of women's tennis in 2018, winning her first Tour title at the Indian Wells Open and then defeating Serena Williams in the final of the US Open. In early 2019, she reached the world No. 1 ranking for the first time and has since won a total of seven WTA Tour-level singles titles, including four majors: two each at the Australian Open and the US Open.
Despite her impressive achievements, Osaka has also faced challenges in her career. She has taken several breaks from the sport to prioritise her mental health, including a maternity break in 2023 after the birth of her daughter. Following her return to competition in 2024, Osaka admitted that she felt disconnected from her body and struggled to rediscover her best form. She has also faced setbacks in her performance, such as her early exit from Wimbledon 2025, where she stated that she had nothing positive to say about her defeat.
Despite these challenges, Osaka remains a prominent figure in women's tennis and one of the world's most marketable athletes. She is also recognised for her activism and advocacy work, using her platform to address various social and cultural issues, including mental health awareness and the destigmatisation of mental illness.
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Osaka's influence off the court
Naomi Osaka is a prominent voice for social change off the tennis court. She has shown support for the Black Lives Matter protests and has spoken out about racism and gender equality. Osaka has also been open about her mental health struggles, changing the way people talk about mental health in sports. In 2020, she wrote on Instagram: "As a kid growing up, I never really talked; I was the quiet one... As I grow I will learn more things, but at the moment I can only hope I'm using my platform well."
Osaka has also made her mark in the fashion industry. She has collaborated with Levi's and is a Louis Vuitton ambassador. Her sneaker game has been described as striking, with electric colours that blur the lines between sport, style, and culture. In addition to her fashion ventures, Osaka co-founded Hana Kuma, a media and production company, in 2022. The company has many ventures, including a video interview series called "Good Trouble with Nick Kyrgios." In 2024, Hana Kuma also announced a partnership with the LPGA to create a brand-building programme for female golfers.
Osaka has also been recognised for her influence and impact as a Japanese athlete. Before the 2021 Australian Open finals, a top official at the Japan Tennis Association commented: "It's exciting to see that Japanese athletes can now have this sort of impact." Osaka has represented Japan in tennis since she was ten years old, a decision made by her parents to champion her heritage.
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Osaka's early life and career
Naomi Osaka is a professional tennis player and activist who was born on 16 October 1997 in Osaka, Japan. Her father, Leonard Maxime Francois, is Haitian, and her mother, Tamaki Osaka, is Japanese. The couple met in Sapporo, Japan, in the 1990s. Tamaki's family initially disapproved of her relationship with a Haitian man. However, the couple married and moved to Osaka, where their daughter was born. Naomi has an older sister, Mari, who is also a professional tennis player.
Osaka began playing tennis at the age of three. Her family relocated to Long Island, New York, when she was three, and her father encouraged her to take up the sport. Five years later, they moved again to Florida. As a child, Osaka practised on the Pembroke Pines public court and was homeschooled at night. She and her sister did not compete in the usual circuit of junior tournaments but instead skipped straight to competing against older players.
Osaka made her professional debut in 2013. She first came to prominence in 2014 when she defeated former US Open champion Samantha Stosur in her WTA Tour debut at the Stanford Classic. In 2016, she reached her first WTA final at the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo and entered the top 50 of the WTA rankings. That year, she also beat two players ranked inside the top 20 to reach the final of the Pan Pacific Open, helping her secure the WTA Newcomer of the Year award. In 2018, Osaka became the first Japanese player to win a Grand Slam singles title at the US Open, defeating her idol, Serena Williams. She followed this up by winning the 2019 Australian Open, becoming the first female player to win two Grand Slam titles in a row since Serena Williams in 2015. Osaka has since won numerous other tournaments and awards and has reached the rank of World No. 1.
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