Naomi Osaka feared she wouldn't be a good mum but she was determined to "swat away" negative thoughts like mosquitoes.
Naomi Osaka worried about motherhood
The 25-year-old tennis player gave birth to her daughter, Shai, in July and she's admitted she was battling worries about whether she would be good enough raising her little girl - but the sports star was determined not to give in to self-doubt.
In a candid post on X - formerly known as Twitter - she wrote: "Something I had to conquer recently is fighting the thought that I won't be a good mom. So many doubts raced through my head I had to swat them away like mosquitoes.
"Looking into Shai's eyes and holding her I always think: 'Wow this little person depends on me so much, I have to do better'. It's such a strange feeling watching your kid grow, you blink and they're double the size in a few months."
She added: "Gratefulness reminds me to breathe and take in the little things (and the big ones). I'm so grateful to have another year and I'm so thankful to everyone that believes in me."
Naomi welcomed Shai with rapper Cordae and recently insisted she's relishing the challenge of motherhood. She told 'Entertainment Tonight': "It's very interesting, but very rewarding. I'm doing good."
She's also hoping to make a return to tennis next year because she's "itching" to get back onto the court. Naomi added to the outlet: "Honestly, I've been athletic or been playing sports since I was three, so it's like a part of my life. I went to the [US] Open earlier today and it just brought me so much inspiration. So I'm very excited. It's made me a lot more grateful. Just a lot of little things I took for granted, now I'm kind of looking at it and since I can't play competitively right now, it's really making me itch to come back."