Naomi Osaka Sparks Tennis Retirement Rumors After Miami Open Loss: ‘Rather Just Be a Great Mom’

NEED TO KNOW

• Naomi Osaka sparked retirement rumors at the 2026 Miami Open after her surprising loss to Australian qualifier Talia Gibson in her opening match
• The former world No. 1 opened up about stepping away from the tour to spend more time with her daughter Shai
• Osaka, a four-time world champion, welcomed her daughter in July 2023

Naomi Osaka has her family top of mind.

The four-time Grand Slam champion, 28, sparked retirement rumors at the 2026 Miami Open during a post-match press conference after she lost to Australian qualifier Talia Gibson in her opening match on Saturday, March 21.

When discussing her future plans, Osaka considered staying on the WTP tour on the heels of her latest defeat early in the competition or dropping it completely to tend to her duties as a full-time mom to daughter, Shai, whom she welcomed with her ex boyfriend Cordae in July 2023.

“I’m not going to stay on tour if I’m losing in the first round… I’d rather just be a great mom and be there for my daughter,” said Osaka, per the Tennis Channel. “I want to win titles and I want to be the best player I can, but if I have to sacrifice having a lot of time with my daughter, I’d rather not do it.”

Osaka, who had a first-round bye, entered the Miami Open with seeded at No. 16. Her loss to world No. 68 Gibson came as a suffering shock, falling 5-7 4-6 in the second round of the tennis tournament.

While discussing her competitive future in the sport, Osaka also gave insight on her plans for the upcoming clay season ahead. She shared that she’s hoping to start her clay swing in late April, and play three tournaments throughout its stretch.

“I’m not going to play Charleston,” she shared of the next stop on tour, which kicks off the clay season at the Credit One Stadium in South Carolina on March 31 before it continues in Europe.

“I hope I can play Madrid, Rome and then obviously the French Open,” she added.

Osaka previously opened up to PEOPLE exclusively ahead of the 2025 US Open about considering retirement sooner in her career, revealing that she didn’t think she’d return to competitive tennis after the birth of her first child.

Take PEOPLE with you! Subscribe to PEOPLE magazine to get the latest details on celebrity news, exclusive royal updates, how-it-happened true crime stories and more — right to your mailbox.

“I was one of those people that thought when I had a kid I would stop playing tennis,” Osaka told PEOPLE exclusively at Tubi’s private screening of The Second Set at The Roxy Cinema in New York City in August 2025.

Rather than retire like she initially had in mind upon welcoming her Shai into the world, Osaka had different plans — and enhanced goals — in mind.

“While I was pregnant, I was kind of very inspired,” told PEOPLE at the time. “I also wanted my daughter to be able to see me play tennis. It was such a big part of my life and I feel like she doesn’t know it, but she definitely inspired me to continue.”

One week after she went into labor, Osaka returned to training. Despite the noise and negativity that surrounded her decision to jump back into the mental and physical intensity that comes with preparing her body to perform at the top level, she was determined.

“I feel like in the back of my head, I was a little stressed, of course, because I really desperately wanted to play and I felt like I had to do whatever it took,” she said. “And that’s kind of my, I guess, stubbornness.”

At the time, Osaka — who’s won the US Open twice in 2018 and 2020, respectively, and the Australian Open twice (in 2019 and 2021) — opened up about her new era, both personally and professionally, with a refreshed perspective on the game.

“For me, what feels most different is my relationship with tennis and also my emotions going into it,” she said. “I think when I was younger, I’d put so much pressure on myself, and now I kind of see it as a joy and a privilege to play.”

Of Shai, she said: “Just seeing her makes my day brighter… She’s just such a positive influence in my life.”

Read the original article on People