Photo: Getty Images
Tennis star Naomi Osaka is opening up about her struggles with body image postpartum.
In a recent Instagram post, Osaka, who welcomed her first child Shai with rapper Cordae in July 2023, got candid about how her relationship with her body has changed since giving birth.
Osaka shared a carousel of photos documenting her "body changes throughout the year."
“There were moments this year where I felt really ashamed of my body,” the tennis star captioned her post. “I was also constantly struggling with this overwhelming urge to ‘snapback’, seeing other moms seemingly shrink immediately after having their baby was an expectation I began to put on myself.”
The Grand Slam Champion went on to explain how "self-comparison" has hurt her along with added pressure to lose weight as an athlete.
“I felt as an athlete I should be losing weight quicker than most, I was in the gym [every day] so that thought didn’t feel too unrealistic. Most weeks would feel similar to the previous week and the weight didn’t disappear overnight, so it was a bit disheartening,” Osaka said.
Since giving birth, Osaka has also been open about her journey getting back into tennis. Osaka previously shared that she was experiencing a physical disconnect in her return to the sport.
“My biggest issue is that I don’t feel like I’m in my body. It’s a strange feeling, missing balls I shouldn’t miss, hitting balls softer than I remember I used to,” Osaka previously said. “The only feeling I could liken how I feel right now to is being postpartum. That scares [me] because I’ve been playing tennis since I was 3; the tennis racquet should feel like an extension of my hand. I don’t understand why everything has to feel almost brand new again.”
Still, Osaka said she embracing her postpartum "adventure" and finding ways to appreciate her body.
“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,” she said. “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.’”
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