“I don’t have time to waste” – Despite a rocky 2024 so far, Naomi Osaka pulls up her socks to play her best game as motherhood changes her inside out

Naomi Osaka's clay record may see her poor run of the season continue.

“I don’t have time to waste” – Despite a rocky 2024 so far, Naomi Osaka pulls up her socks to play her best game as motherhood changes her inside out

Naomi Osaka and Nick Kyrgios (Via Imago)

Naomi Osaka’s poor start to the season doesn’t seem to affect her love and care for her daughter Shai. The Japanese star revealed recently that she doesn’t have to waste like when she was younger despite having recorded eight wins in six tournaments this season.

The former World No.1 became one of the most dominant players on the Tour winning the 2020 US Open and the 2021 Australian Open. She earned an unbeaten run of 23 matches that began in September and ended in March 2021. Fast forward to 2023, she withdrew from the Australian Open days before kickoff announcing her pregnancy. In July she delivered a baby girl, Shai.

However, since then her role has changed, majorly as a mother. She has often revealed how much her daughter inspired her comeback to the sport, yet as a player, every minute counts for her as she must look after Skai, which Osaka reiterated in episode 7 of ‘Good Trouble with Nick Kyrgios‘.

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I just feel like I don't have time to waste. I'm trying to be really efficient with everything. And I think when I was younger I could hit (play tennis) for like three hours and kind of waste time in the middle of whatever. But now I know there's someone waiting for me at home and I have to take care of her. So, right now, just feel like every second counts.
Naomi Osaka said
Naomi Osaka and Nick Kyrgios
Naomi Osaka and Nick Kyrgios (Images via IMAGO)

Osaka will be hoping for a change of fortune at the Mutua Madrid Open after suffering a major upset at the Open Capfinances Rouen Metropole last week.

Naomi Osaka’s clay record belittling her chance for any major upset at the Madrid Open

Naomi Osaka will begin her Madrid Masters campaign playing either a qualifier or No. 15 seed Liudmila Samsonova. Her best record in Madrid came in 2019 when she reached the quarterfinals. She is hoping for a turnaround in her clay court career, as she has struggled with poor performances on this surface.

Naomi Osaka
Naomi Osaka (Via Imago)

She lost to Italian Martina Trevisan in the first round of Rouen Open after being handed a wildcard to the tournament. She has yet to win any clay tournament in her career.

Meanwhile, her most controversial meltdown happened in the 2021 French Open after storming out of a press conference when asked about her poor run on clay. She later withdrew from the rest of the clay tournaments, stating health reasons.

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