From joy of daughter Shai’s birthday to concerning admission after Wimbledon heartbreak: How Naomi Osaka’s life changed in 2 days

Naomi Osaka has experienced mixed emotions in just two days, going from celebrating her daughter’s second birthday to delivering a vulnerable admission following her Wimbledon 2025 exit.

A day before her third-round match at Wimbledon, Osaka shared heartfelt posts on daughter Shai’s second birthday. On Instagram, she celebrated her second-round victory and her daughter’s birthday with a reel captioned: “Happy Shai day.” On Threads, the four-time Grand Slam champion added:

“My big girl is 2 years old 🥹 I can’t believe it!” — expressing disbelief at how fast her daughter is growing up.

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After bowing out of the tournament, Osaka shared her thoughts on the tough loss with an emotional admission during her post-match interview. She reflected on how her Wimbledon exit felt different from her experience at the French Open, stating:

“I think in Paris [French Open 2025].. when I sat here I was very emotional. Now I don’t feel anything. I guess I prefer to feel nothing than everything.”

She exited the Wimbledon after a 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 loss to Russia’s Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. Osaka had earlier reached the third round by defeating current women's doubles world No. 1 Kateřina Siniaková in convincing fashion, 6–3, 6–2, in singles.

Earlier, at the French Open in May, Naomi Osaka suffered a first round loss, falling to 10th seed Paula Badosa 6-7(1), 6-1, 6-4.

Notably, Osaka welcomed her daughter, Shai, in July 2023 with her ex-boyfriend Cordae, whom she began dating in 2019. The two have since split, which the tennis star confirmed in January 2025, but continue to co-parent their daughter.

Naomi Osaka claims first WTA title since returning to tennis at L’Open 35 de Saint-Malo 2025

Naomi Osaka captured her first WTA title at the 2025 L’Open 35 de Saint-Malo since returning to tennis in 2024, following the birth of her child in March 2023. She defeated the Slovenian athlete 6-1, 7-5 to win her first-ever title on clay at the WTA 125 tournament.

Following this feat, she reflected on her performance in a post shared on X (formerly Twitter), writing:

“Kinda ironic to win my first trophy back on the surface that I thought was my worst. That’s one of my favorite things about life though, there’s always room to grow and evolve.”

The Japanese tennis star also thanked her fans for their constant support throughout the ups and downs of her comeback journey. Before winning the tournament, her best finish of the season was reaching the finals of the ASB Classic, where she retired hurt.

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About the author

Abhiruchi Rout

Abhiruchi is a US Olympics journalist at Sportskeeda, specializing in Athletics, Swimming, Gymnastics, and Wrestling among other sports. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Mass Communication and has over 2 years of prior experience in the sports journalism sector.

Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy are Abhiruchi’s favorite Olympians. She began following them in 2018, and seeing their transformation from initially not wanting to play together to becoming the world's top-ranked men's doubles pair inspires her.

Track & Field excites Abhiruchi the most because of the diverse range of events involved in it. Neeraj Chopra's historic performance at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics stands as her favorite Olympic moment as it was India’s first gold in track and field events. She feels that focus should be placed on up-and-coming athletes to increase the coverage of Olympic sports during the off-season.

Abhiruchi applies journalistic principles learnt while pursuing her Bachelor’s degree by prioritizing first-hand information, cross-checking via multiple reliable sources, and fact-checking for accuracy. She follows reputed sources and numerous established athletes on social media platforms to remain updated.

When not reporting, Abhiruchi enjoys traveling and spending time with her family and friends.

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