Former Grand Slam winner Naomi Osaka is smashing it off-court. After welcoming her daughter Shai with Beau Cordae last year in July, Osaka made a quick return to the courts while still enjoying the throes of motherhood. Now that Shai has turned one, Osaka shared her plans for her daughter’s first birthday. Declining any extravagant celebration, Osaka wins hearts as she thinks her daughter “just needs to be surrounded by love.” 

Naomi Osaka bagged her debut Wimbledon 2024 victory against France’s Diane Perry on Court 2. Post-victory, she talked about her daughter’s birthday celebration with the press, showing she had a slightly unusual plan. “I want to throw her a very extravagant birthday party, but I’m probably not going to just because that’s the way I grew up like we just had a cake and that was pretty much it,” she said.

Regarding how much Osaka thinks that Shai “just needs to be surrounded by love,” she confirmed not buying her any particular birthday gift. This former US Open champion further said that she feels she is “constantly buying her birthday presents,” and that is why she chose to buy “her a book“ thinking “hopefully she’s satisfied with the book.” 

As Shai completes one revolution around the sun this month, everyone is excited to know Osaka’s plans to make her daughter feel special. However, this Japanese WTA star decided to keep it simplistic and grounded.

Despite being a humble mother, Osaka couldn’t contain her emotions as Shai turned one today. “My big girl is one today🥹 I can’t believe it,” She wrote on Threads and later shared its screenshot on her official Instagram Story. This adorable bundle of joy now travels with the WTA star on tour, giving her the support she needs to make a dashing comeback.

Naomi Osaka reveals that “it’s a bit of a dream to be here with” her daughter Shai

This former Grand Slam champion has been open about the joys of motherhood with her struggles balancing tennis with her responsibilities. Mentioning how the whole thing “has been a journey” Osaka called herself “lucky” and “blessed.” While Shai’s energy at times tires out Osaka after heavy tennis practice, she “wouldn’t say that’s anything that” she would “complain about,” as  “it’s a bit of a dream to be here with her.” 

Along with her first Wimbledon 2024 victory, this Japanese WTA star seemed excited about another feat achieved by her daughter two days back. “Yesterday, she walked for the first time, so I was really happy about that. We’re going to practice some more when I get back. But it’s really cool to have her here, just to see how much she’s grown and how many things she’s doing differently. It’s kind of surreal,” she said.

Naomi Osaka’s revelations about her daughter Shai’s birthday celebration showed the grounded personality of the former number 1. In addition to being a great tennis player, Osaka works hard to become a great mother for her daughter, inspiring all the working mothers out there to strive for balance.