She Needed Me’ – Naomi Osaka Opens Up About Prioritizing Daughter Shai Over US Open Prep

Aug 11, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Naomi Osaka (JPN) reacts after winning the first set against Elena Rybakina (KAZ) during quarter final play at Sobeys Stadium. © Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images

While her fellow WTA stars competed at the Cincinnati Open to continue their preparations for the US Open, Naomi Osaka chose to skip the WTA 1000 event. Having arrived at Flushing Meadows for the New York Major, the four-time Grand Slam champion revealed that her daughter, Shai, played a key role in the decision.

Why Naomi Osaka Skipped the Cincinnati Open Ahead of the US Open

Osaka kicked off her North American hardcourt swing by reaching the semifinals of the Mubadala DC Open before falling short against eventual champion Alexandra Eala.

The former world No. 1 then made a run to the quarterfinals of the Canadian Open, facing Elena Rybakina in a hard-fought battle for a spot in the semifinals. Osaka clinched the opening set and held a 4-2 lead in the second, but Rybakina mounted an impressive comeback to secure a 4-6, 7-6(5), 6-4 victory.

Subsequently, Osaka withdrew from the Cincinnati Open, citing fatigue. Shedding light on the move during her pre-tournament press conference at the US Open, the Japanese star explained that she felt she already had enough matches under her belt to be prepared for the final Grand Slam of the season.

She also revealed that her daughter, Shai, needed her at the time, prompting Osaka to prioritize her primary role as a mother over tennis, which she humorously described as a “side hustle.”

“I mean, I do feel like I’ve played a lot of matches. And honestly, this is the surface that I’m most comfortable with, but I think people forget my main job is to be a mom. You know, this is like kind of my side hustle a little bit. I just happen to be really good at it. My daughter, she needed me to be at home, so that’s just what I felt like was the priority,” Osaka said .

The four-time Grand Slam champion also elaborated on her sentiments about not pushing Shai to pursue professional tennis, clarifying that she was not “anti-tennis.”

“It’s not that I’m anti-tennis. I feel like it teaches you a lot and I think you know there’s a lot of characteristics that I gained through the sport. I think sports in general is really good for kids. It teaches discipline and all those other things,” she said.

Instead, Osaka explained that it was simply beyond her control whether Shai would want to play tennis professionally, reiterating that the three-year-old has yet to play on a proper court.

“But I feel like for tennis I don’t know, maybe I’m stuck in my ways, but I think it can either go one of two ways. Like she’d really want to play professionally or maybe not, you know? I think those are things that I can’t control, but she loves swinging her little mini racket around. She actually hasn’t been on a real court yet. So maybe I’ll update you in a couple of years,” she added.

MORE: Naomi Osaka Refuses To Push Daughter Shai To Become a Tennis Star – ‘I Don’t Think I’d Encourage It’

At the US Open, No. 13 seed Naomi Osaka is set to kick off her campaign against Anastasia Zakharova. Having reached the semifinals of the New York Major last year, Osaka will be aiming to go a step further this time and win her first Grand Slam title since giving birth to Shai.

This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network .

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