Naomi Osaka opens up about post-pregnancy hair journey: “I think we’re back!”

Naomi Osaka isn’t afraid to get personal on social media—and in her latest post, the four-time Grand Slam champion opened up about her post-pregnancy hair loss and recovery.

The former world No. 1 has been sharing glimpses of her life in her birth city of Osaka, Japan, where she’s the top seed at the Kinoshita Group Japan Open, a WTA 250 event.

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Among the highlights was a fun visit to Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios Japan with friends, where she joked on Instagram, “p.s. I can beat everyone in Mario Kart. Yes that includes you 🏎️💨.”

Osaka also took to TikTok to talk candidly about her postpartum hair journey. In a video titled “For My Hair Girlies Only,” she shared how pregnancy affected her hair and how she’s learning to embrace the changes.

“This is a very weird video,” Osaka starts, laughing. “I’ve been really struggling with my hair for like the past two years. Like, during pregnancy and after pregnancy I lost my edges and stuff.

“They’re back now,” she adds proudly. “Well, kind of. Kind of! Don’t look too closely. I also dyed my hair a lot, so I had to cut it off, blah, blah, blah. But I think it’s back now.”

According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, postpartum hair loss—known as telogen effluvium—is common after childbirth:

“Postpartum hair thinning or hair loss… occurs when hormone levels drop back to their regular levels after childbirth… Postpartum hair loss usually ends about 6–12 months after giving birth. Most women see their hair returning to its normal thickness as their hormone levels stabilize.”

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Osaka welcomed her daughter Shai on July 7, 2023, after stepping away from tennis in late 2022. She returned to training just two weeks later and has since spoken openly about body image challenges and the pressure—self-imposed and external—to “snap back.”

“Anyway, I’ve been wearing a ponytail, as you can tell, because I didn’t know how to wear my hair,” Osaka says later in the TikTok. “And then I watched one TikTok yesterday—don’t look too close, again—but I think we’re back! Hey!”

Fans flooded the comments with support and encouragement: “Those are literally hair goals girlie 😤😮‍💨,” one user wrote. Another added, “It’s definitely back! …It looks fuller and healthier for sure.” Others offered gentle advice: “As soon as you popped up all I thought was the curls look so good 🥰… Edges look good too, just be careful with tight styles.”

Osaka’s comeback extends far beyond her hair journey. The 26-year-old has been thriving on court too, reaching her first WTA 1000 final since 2022 in Montreal, where she finished runner-up to home favorite Victoria Mboko. She also made a deep run at the US Open, defeating Coco Gauff on her way to the semifinals—major milestones in her return to competition last January.

At the Japan Open, Osaka is the No. 1 seed and opened with a dominant 6-0, 6-4 win over Japanese wild card Wakana Sonobe. She’ll next face Suzan Lamens for a spot in the quarterfinals on Wednesday.

Catch all the action from the Kinoshita Group Japan Open, live October 13-19 on Tennis Channel.