Four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka, despite her active lifestyle, has encountered challenges with postpregnancy weight loss, according to reports. Last July, she welcomed her daughter, Shai, with rapper Cordae. As Osaka navigates the ups and downs of first-time motherhood, she has also struggled to regain her body confidence. On Sunday, October 27, she shared an Instagram carousel highlighting her pregnancy journey and weight loss efforts, paired with a heartfelt caption about the “body changes” that come with childbirth.
Osaka shared on social media, “Honestly I don’t know what to caption this post. I wanted to say ‘body changes throughout the year’ but it actually means a lot more to me than that.” She expressed that there were moments in 2024 when she felt “deeply ashamed” of her body, especially while wearing “form-fitting tennis clothes,” which intensified her “overwhelming urge to snapback.” She stated, “Seeing other mom’s seemingly shrink immediately after having their baby was an expectation I began to put on myself.”
Osaka expressed that “self-comparison always hurt,” as she believed her status as an athlete meant she should be “losing weight quicker than most,” prompting her to ramp up her workouts with daily gym sessions. The tennis champ said, “Most weeks would feel similar to the previous week and the weight didn’t disappear overnight so it was a bit disheartening.”
Embracing Gratitude: Osaka Celebrates Her Body’s Journey and Strength
Osaka seems to have embraced her body as it is, recognizing that “all bodies are different” and finding a new “appreciation” for her own. She expressed, “My body has done so much for me and adapted so well to the tasks that I’m asking from it, I’m extremely grateful and thankful.” “While typing this I realized that if I had to title this post it would be super long and go like- ‘thank you body for the journey over the past year, I’m excited to learn more about what you’re capable of in the years to come ❤️’ haha.”
Osaka may savor her post-baby weight loss a bit longer, as the athlete recently revealed she’s in no hurry to expand her family. She voiced in an August TikTok, “I just wanna say, I’m not preggos.” “But if I was, I wouldn’t want many more because giving birth was traumatic. But thank you, though, for your blessings.”