Naomi Osaka has provided context for her absence from this year’s Australian Open, posting a photo and text to Twitter announcing that she is pregnant with her first child.
The 25-year-old tennis star and four-time grand slam champion posted a picture of a sonogram of a baby dated last month along with the message: “Can’t wait to get back on the court but here’s a little life update for 2023 ,
She also included screenshots of a statement in both English and Japanese in which she wrote: “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.
“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 some of my matches and tell someone, ‘That’s my
mom.’”
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
