No matter what happens on the tennis court, Naomi Osaka still celebrates one of her biggest victories: becoming a mom.
Two days after her time competing at the 2024 U.S. Open came to an end on Thursday, Aug. 29, with a tough loss in the second round, the tennis star shared an Instagram post about the motherhood and sports.
Alongside photos snapped during her match against Karolína Muchová, Osaka, 26, wrote about how her 1-year-old daughter Shai,whom she shares with boyfriend Cordae, impacted her mindset after her loss.
“Honestly I had typed out a whole caption about how I’m disappointed with myself,” she wrote, ”but I’ve been sitting here playing with my daughter and I realized that I couldn’t be more proud of myself.”
“I gave birth to such an amazing human and I played the US Open? A win is a win,” she continued. “Sure it didn’t work out this time but I have faith it will eventually. Thank you NY 🖤 see you next time.”
The tennis pro — who dominated the U.S. Open’s fashion scene with her ruffly ensembles — added to her message with a clip of Rihanna’s speech from the 2014 CFDA Fashion Awards, where she received the Style Icon Award.
In the clip, Rihanna recalls a defense mechanism she used as a child, telling the audience, “I remember thinking, ‘She can beat me but she cannot beat my outfit.’ ”
Osaka also reposted the clip on Instagram Stories, where she added, “And that’s real.”
Following her loss, the tennis star revealed in a post-match press conference that she was “really disappointed,” per Sports Illustrated.
Earlier this summer, Osaka spoke about prioritizing her health as an athlete and new mom to Shai, whom she and her rapper beau welcomed in July 2023.
Naomi Osaka plays at the U.S. Open on Aug. 29.
Robert Prange/Getty
“As an athlete, my health has always been a priority, even more now that I am returning to tennis after having my daughter,” she told us at the time. “I am learning new ways to take care of myself both on and off the court, not only for myself, but for my family.”
