Tennis star Naomi Osaka announced she is pregnant with her first child and that she is still planning on making her return to the sport at the 2024 Summer Olympics.
The four-time Grand Slam singles champion tweeted on Wednesday, “Can’t wait to get back on the court but here’s a little life update for 2023.” Alongside that caption she shared an image of her sonogram on an ultrasound monitor and a screenshot of a Notes app note that read, “The past few years have been interesting to say the least, but I find that its the most challenging times in life that may be the most fun. These few months away from the sport has really given me a new love and appreciation for the game I’ve dedicated my life to.”
Osaka continues, “I realize that life is so short and I don’t take any moments for granted, everyday is a new blessing and adventure. I know that I have so much to look forward to in the future, one thing I’m looking forward to is for my kid to watch one of my matches and tell someone, ‘that’s my mom,’ haha. 2023 will be a year that’ll be full of lessons for me and I hope I’ll see you guys in the start of the next one cause I’ll be at Aus 2024.” She concluded, “Love you all infinitely,” with a red heart emoji. In a postscript, she added, “Sidenote: I don’t think there’s a perfectly correct path to take in life but I always felt that if you move forward with good intentions you’ll find your way eventually.” She also shared the message in Japanese.
The tennis player has been dating rapper Cordae for the last three years. The pair had their first date at the Staples Center to see a Clippers game in 2019, and Osaka later told GQ, “I just remember seeing that there were so many people who wanted to take a picture with him. And I just thought it was really cool how friendly and welcoming he was with everyone.” Cordae also revealed to the outlet, “We were dating for almost a year before people knew about us. So we kind of move very reclusively. We don’t really post intimate moments, because I feel as though they’re sacred. A relationship is really a sacred thing. Once you let outside influences get into it, it becomes less sacred.”
Osaka has also said that her boyfriend has been incredibly helpful throughout her struggles with her mental health. “During the whole New York thing and with everything that was going on, I started to feel really depressed,” she said, referring to the response to her 2020 US Open masks honoring victims of police brutality. “Sometimes I would call Cordae, and maybe in some of the calls I would cry. I don’t remember. And he flew out, even though he was really busy. I really appreciated that. I’m not sure if I’ve told him that. I feel like he actually really helped me win just, like, keeping up the motivation.”
