Naomi Osaka’s Conversation With Jay Shetty That Every Sports Parent Should Hear

In her recent sit-down with Jay Shetty, four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka shared a truth that will hit home for any sports parent: “I used to think losing meant my life was over.”

She wasn’t talking about retiring from tennis—she meant that a single loss could erase her entire sense of worth. One bad match, and it felt like everything she’d worked for, everything she believed she was, vanished. The scoreboard wasn’t just measuring her game; it was deciding if she mattered. For parents watching their kids compete, that’s not a distant pro-athlete problem—it’s the same silent pressure many young athletes are carrying right now.

A Childhood Built on Relentless Training

From the time she was 3, Osaka’s father had a vision. Inspired by Richard Williams, Osaka's father modeled her training after the blueprint used for Serena and Venus—long days on the court, sometimes up to eight hours, with the dream of molding a champion. That kind of discipline and drive built her into a world-class competitor, but it also hardwired the belief that her value came from her results. When winning becomes the goal from the start, it can be hard to untangle who you are from what you achieve.

Identity, Fear, and the Pressure to Perform

Osaka told Shetty that fear drove her early career: fear of losing, fear of not being good enough. “My whole identity as I knew it was being a tennis player," she said. "I would value … whether I won or lost.”

That’s the danger in letting results become the only definition of worth—kids start believing that if they aren’t winning, they aren’t valuable.

The Real Strength Is in the Stop

In 2021, Osaka withdrew from the French Open to protect her mental health. “What I was dealing with at the time … I didn’t want to see the outside world,"she said. Osaka had experienced “long bouts of depression” but still carried shame for stopping. Critics were quick to question her toughness—some accusing her of lacking the grit to handle pressure. But her decision to step away wasn’t weakness. It was self-preservation. And it was a visible act that told other athletes, young and old, that their wellbeing matters more than any tournament.

Comparison, Compassion, and Conscious Competition

“I’d always feel like I was constantly on this race of like who’s better,” she told Shetty. For years, that race defined her. She’s now choosing to measure herself by growth and values, not by who she can beat. In youth sports, where rosters, rankings and stats are constantly in front of our kids, parents can help them shift the focus from “Am I better than them?” to “Am I becoming the best version of me?”

Motherhood as a Masterclass in Perspective

Since she became a mother, Osaka’s focus has shifted. Her new documentary, The Second Set (premiering on Tubi August 24), chronicles her return to tennis while embracing her new identity as a mom to her daughter, Shai, born July 2023. She calls the film a “love letter” to Shai—reflecting how motherhood didn’t pause her career, it reenergized it. “Some people say she ended my career,” Osaka says, “but for me, it feels like she started it.”

Parenthood, for her, has been a recalibration of what really matters. It’s the same message Scottie Scheffler recently shared in a press conference before winning The Open. Athletes need to find a bigger purpose than winning. It’s about building a life that holds joy and purpose, not just trophies.

A Legacy of Openness

This isn’t a one-time revelation. Osaka’s three-part Netflix docuseries in 2021 pulled the curtain back on her grief, insecurities, and mental health battles. The Jay Shetty interview adds another layer: she’s not just telling her story, she’s reframing what it means to win.

What This Means for Parents Guiding Young Athletes

From Osaka's journey, parents and athletes can take away: You can be great and still need help. You can be driven and still rest. You can be competitive and still content. You can step back and still move forward. When your child walks off the field after a tough loss, when they start questioning whether they belong, or when their toughness is challenged—those are the moments to help them zoom out. Ask what they learned today that they can use tomorrow. Remind them of the qualities they bring to the team that aren’t measured in points or stats. Talk about the times they’ve bounced back before, and how that resilience will serve them in sports and in life. Those conversations, repeated over time, can keep their confidence rooted in who they are, not just in how they perform.

The Takeaway

Our kids are watching us. They’re learning what success looks like from the way we respond to wins, losses and everything in between. Naomi Osaka’s story is proof of how easily self-worth can get tangled up with results and how freeing it can be to untangle it. The scoreboard tells one story. The person tells another. 

Asia Mape is a four-time Emmy Award-winning journalist, Sports Television Producer, former Division I athlete and the founder of I Love To Watch You Play, a platform dedicated to helping families navigate the youth sports journey with insight, honesty and heart. She’s worked for leading sports networks including Fox Sports, ESPN, TNT, NFL Network and NBC Sports, covering five Olympics, multiple NBA playoffs, and two Super Bowls. Now a mom to three daughters who’ve all played competitive sports, Asia blends her professional storytelling background and personal experience to support parents and spark meaningful change in youth sports.