Naomi Osaka continues to engage with her fan base through candid conversations on social media platforms, bridging the gap between her professional tennis career and her personal life. The Japanese tennis star, with nearly 2.9 million Instagram followers, has established a reputation for sharing candid moments and unfiltered reflections on her journey as both a professional athlete and mother.
Recent posts demonstrate her ongoing commitment to meaningful engagement with her audience while navigating significant transitions in her professional career.
Naomi Osaka Opens Up About the ‘Most Disrespectful Things’ in a Person
Osaka has established herself as one of professional tennis’s most transparent voices, regularly leveraging Instagram and Threads to share unfiltered perspectives. Unlike many elite athletes who maintain carefully curated public personas, Osaka embraces vulnerability as a defining characteristic of her online presence. She often speaks about the topics considered taboo within professional sports, including depression and anxiety.
On Dec. 24, Osaka posted a striking and brief statement on Threads that encapsulates her straightforward approach to human interaction:
“I think being late and not caring is one of the most disrespectful things a person can do.”
Naomi Osaka’s Instagram thread, though minimal in length, generated considerable discussion across social media as her followers engaged with her underlying message. Beyond this, Osaka’s Instagram presence tells the story of an athlete actively rebuilding her career while fully embracing the demands of motherhood.
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She regularly shares images from her life, offering followers glimpses into her training sessions, moments with her daughter, Shai. In recent weeks, Osaka was seen practicing at the University of Miami with Mexican player Renata Zarazua, showcasing her rigorous preseason preparations as she gears up for the 2026 campaign.
Just a few days ago, she shared an incident from when she attended the 2023 US Open while still recovering from childbirth, as Coco Gauff advanced through the tournament. Reflecting on that experience via Threads, Osaka wrote: “Something crazy I just realized, a little over two years ago I watched the semi’s of the us open from the audience seats and I was wondering if I would ever be able to go deep in that tournament again. Life is funny.”
This year proved transformative for Osaka, who defeated world No. 3 Gauff en route to reaching the US Open semifinals. This remarkable achievement showcased her determination to rebuild after stepping away from competition.
Osaka’s Recent Agency Transition and Road to 2026 Season
Osaka announced on December 19 that she is parting ways with Evolve, the sports management agency she co-founded three years earlier with longtime agent Stuart Duguid. The former world No. 1 broke away from IMG in 2022 to launch Evolve, building a roster that quickly attracted high-profile clients, including men’s tennis star Nick Kyrgios and women’s world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka.
MORE: Naomi Osaka Sends a Message About Sudden Split With Evolve
However, Osaka’s own earnings under Evolve experienced a notable decline from her peak performances, dropping from approximately $57.3 million in 2022, when Forbes named her the world’s highest-paid female athlete, to $12.5 million across all income streams in 2025, according to Forbes’s latest highest-paid athletes list.
Osaka’s 2025 season demonstrated her resilience and capacity to compete at elite levels despite navigating coaching changes and persistent injury concerns. After splitting with coach Patrick Mouratoglou in July, she hired Tomasz Wiktorowski, Iga Świątek’s former coach, and immediately showed improvement with a 13-4 record under his guidance. Osaka finished 2025 ranked No. 16 with a 35-15 overall record, having reached the Canadian Open final and the US Open semifinals, representing a strong recovery from her 2024 season when she struggled to regain form following maternity leave.
