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Naomi Osaka, who recently crashed out of the 2024 BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, has shared how her exit would be affecting her baby daughter Shai.
Osaka entered the ongoing WTA 1000 through protected ranking. She defeated Sara Errani (6-3, 6-1) and Liudmila Samsonova (7-5, 6-3) to advance to the third round of the tournament. Her run came to a halt at this stage as she was handed a 5-7, 4-6 defeat by Belgium's Elise Mertens.
Naomi Osaka, who resides in California, was accompanied by her boyfriend, Cordae, and their baby daughter Shai in Indian Wells. The rapper shared a few highlights on Instagram, appreciating the Japanese star’s performance against Samsonova in the second round.
Following that victory, Osaka also revealed that she was motivated to win since her eight-month-old daughter was enjoying the time spent in the desert.
"I am just really excited to see Shai after this. I was thinking during the match that I really want to win because she really loves it out here so, who am I to take her away from the desert," she joked in her on-court interview after second round.
Addressing those comments in her post-match press conference after Monday’s defeat, Naomi Osaka said:
"Yeah, ruined her dreams."
Osaka then shared how baby Shai was making the most of her time in Indian Wells, with activities such as visiting the zoo and going out on hikes.
"She was going to the zoo and stuff and we were taking her out, and she sleeps very good here. Hopefully that trend continues," she said smiling.
"But yeah, I think she enjoyed the change of scenery, and she enjoyed being outside, not too long, though, because she was going to get sunburnt. I took her on a hike and stuff," she added.
Naomi Osaka to contest the 2024 Miami Open after Indian Wells exit
Naomi Osaka will now gear up for the WTA 1000 event in Miami [March 17-31] following her Indian Wells exit. She is set to contest the title through protected ranking.
The four-time Grand Slam champion previously competed at the event in 2022 and earned her best-result yet by reaching the final. Speaking about her upcoming participation and her touring schedule, the former World No. 1 said:
"I'm probably going to go to LA for a little bit. I haven't eaten Haitian food in, like, three years, so I'm very excited to go back to Miami," she said in the aforementioned press conference.
Since her return to competition in January 2024 following her maternity break, Osaka has registered five wins and five losses. The Japanese, ranked World No. 228 in the live rankings, will now look to climb the charts during her Miami Open campaign.
