Congratulations to Naomi Osaka.
The 25-year-old tennis star is expecting her first child, she announced on social media on Wednesday, which included an ultrasound photo. Osaka has been dating American rapper Cordae since 2019.
“The previous couple of years have been interesting to say the least, but I feel the toughest times in life may be probably the most fun” Osaka wrote. “These few months away from the game have really given me a latest love and appreciation for the sport I even have dedicated my life to.”
“I realize life is so short and I do not take any moment without any consideration, every day is a latest blessing and adventure. I do know I even have a lot to do in the longer term, certainly one of the things I’m looking forward to is when my kid will watch certainly one of my matches and tell someone “that is my mom” haha.
Osaka said she plans to return to the Australian Open in 2024.
“2023 can be stuffed with lessons for me and I hope to see you in the beginning of next one as I can be at Aus 2024. I like you all infinitely,” Osaka wrote.
“[Side note]”I do not think there may be a superbly correct path in life, but I’ve at all times felt that for those who go forward with good intentions, you will eventually find your way,” she added.
Osaka announced her pregnancy 4 days after the Australian Open confirmed it had withdrawn from the 2023 competition, which begins on January 16.
The previous world No. 1 last played on the Toray Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo in September. Osaka won her opening round match against Daria Saville after her retirement, before withdrawing citing abdominal pain before her second round match against Beatriz Haddad Maia.
In her pregnancy announcement, Osaka made no mention of Cordae, who has yet to handle the news. The Grammy-nominated rapper wrapped up the Eurotour in October 2022, marking his first headlining tour.
The couple, who’re quite private about their relationship, were first seen together at a Clippers game in 2019. A 12 months later, Osaka said Cordae “stopped every thing” to quarantine with her on the US Open after she FaceTimed him from the event saying she “feels sad and lonely” in a bubble.
“We dated for nearly a 12 months before people came upon about us” Cordae told GQ in a joint interview with Osaka in February 2021, “So we move very alone. We do not really post intimate moments because I feel they’re sacred. A relationship is actually a sacred thing. While you allow outside influences to get into it, it becomes less sacred.”
Osaka made headlines in 2021 when she opened up about her struggles with mental health. She withdrew from the French Open after first saying she wouldn’t be doing press conferences throughout the Grand Slam. Osaka then left Wimbledon last July, saying on the time she had “suffered from long bouts of depression” since winning her first Grand Slam title in 2018.
In March, Osaka explained her decision to “finally” seek therapy after an upsetting incident at Indian Wells led her to tearfully address the group after losing to Veronika Kudermetova in straight sets.
Osaka said she sought therapy after her sister Mari, a former skilled tennis player, “seemed very concerned about my fate.”