Four-time grand slam champion, Naomi Osaka has revealed reason for her absence from this year’s Australian Open.
The tennis star, 25, revealed via Instagram on Tuesday, that she is pregnant with her first baby.
This will the first child of Osaka and her boyfriend Cordae.
Osaka shared an Instagram carousel featuring a photo of an ultrasound screen, captioning the shot, “Can’t wait to get back on the court but here’s a little life update for 2023.”
In a message shared in English and Japanese in the following slides, Osaka shared reflections on her next chapter.
“The past few years have been interesting to say the least, but I find that it’s 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,” she wrote.
Osaka officially withdrew from the Australian Open, which she has won twice, on Sunday, prompting questions and speculation over her absence.
She added that she expected to return to Melbourne Park to take part in next year’s tournament.
The former world No 1, who has also won the US Open on two occasions, last played a competitive match at the Toray Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo in September, where she won her opening match against Daria Saville before withdrawing ahead of her second-round tie with Beatriz Haddad Maia due to abdominal pain.
Osaka has been in a relationship with the North Carolina rapper Cordae since 2019, the same year she reached No 1 in the WTA rankings for the first time, with the pair shutting down rumors they had split as recently as August.
Osaka, who lifted the trophy in Melbourne in 2019 and 2021, is the latest in a line of recent Australian Open champions to take maternity leave.
Ashleigh Barty, last year’s winner, retired in March while holding the No 1 ranking before announcing that she was pregnant last week.
Caroline Wozniacki, the 2018 champion, welcomed her second child with husband David Lee in October, while Serena Williams famously won the 2017 tournament while pregnant with her daughter, Alexis Olympia.
