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Naomi Osaka says she does not “feel like I’m in my body” following her return to tennis after a maternity break.
Osaka resumed competing on the WTA Tour in January after the birth of her first child in July 2023, but the four-time grand slam winner has failed to go beyond the quarter-finals at any tournament this season.
“My biggest issue currently isn’t losses though, my biggest issue is that I don’t feel like I’m in my body,” Osaka wrote on Instagram following defeat to American Ashlyn Kreuger in the second round of qualifying for the Cincinnati Open.
“It’s a strange feeling, missing balls I shouldn’t miss, hitting balls softer than I remember I used to. I try to tell myself, ‘It’s fine you’re doing great. Just get through this one and keep pushing’. Mentally it’s really draining though.
“I’ve played a handful of matches this year that I felt like I was myself and I know this moment is probably just a small phase from all the new transitions (clay, grass, clay, hard), however the only feeling I could liken how I feel right now to is being post-partum.
“That scares me because I’ve been playing tennis since I was three, the racket should feel like an extension of my hand.”
“This should be as simple as breathing to me, but it’s not. I genuinely did not give myself grace for that fact until just now.”
Osaka revealed she had “suffered long bouts of depression” after withdrawing from the French Open in 2021 and opting not to compete at Wimbledon, although she did contest the Tokyo Olympics in her native Japan.
She is set to play the US Open, where she is a two-time champion, later this month in New York having been awarded a wild card.
