Your Break Between Classes

Tennis Star, Author and Now Mommy-To-Be: Naomi Osaka Announces Pregnancy

Alana Matthew | 101 Magazine Along with her plans to return to the court at the beginning of 2024, Osaka, 25, verified the news by sharing a photo of the ultrasound. Photo Courtesy: @naomiosaka on Instagram.

Naomi Osaka, the 25-year-old tennis star, who made history as the first Asian player to hold a top ranking in singles, recently took to Instagram to announce that she is pregnant. 

In the post, Osaka says she is setting her sights on returning by next summer for the summer Olympics in Australia. 

“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,” she said. 

This announcement comes after the Australian Open announced Osaka’s withdrawal from this year’s exhibition, which she’s previously won twice. She goes on to write, “2023 will be a year that will 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.” 

The Australian Open tweets in congratulations to the star, wishing her well in her pregnancy and expressing sad sentiments that she won’t be participating in AO2023. 

“Naomi Osaka has withdrawn from the Australia Open. We will miss her at #AO2023,” The Australian Open tweeted Sunday. 

They also congratulated her on her pregnancy in another tweet

https://twitter.com/AustralianOpen/status/1613305624284270592?s=20&t=X7bwyur95hb9TDdiTuI72A
Osaka joins various professional female athletes of color, like the U.S. Olympians Allyson Felix and Natasha Hastings, as a soon-to-be trailblazing mother dedicated to her sport. Still, some student-athletes, like Emnet Simunyola, a Howard Women’s Tennis team member, were shocked to hear the news.

“I was surprised because she is somewhat early/ in the mid stages of her career so I didn’t really expect it…I feel like when most women in tennis have children, it’s after they’ve had a longer run,” Simunyola said. “But I guess it’s fitting seeing that she was taking breaks from tennis and has been an avid advocate for mental health in the sport—which is something we haven’t really seen before. So she’s living her life as she sees fit, and I think that’s great.”

Osaka previously withdrew from the 2021 French Open and expressed that it was to take a mental health break. As a side note accompanying her social media announcement, Osaka addressed those who might question her unconventional life path and expressed no worry for her future.

“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 wrote. 

Copy edited by Eliana Lewis

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