A few days after announcing her non-participation in the next Australian Open (16-29 January) without specifying the reason, the Japanese-Haitian tenniswoman Naomi Osaka announced this Wednesday on social networks that she is pregnant with her first child. The mother-to-be is in a relationship with her long-time sweetheart, the rapper Cordae.

We now know the decision of Naomi Osaka who withdrew from the first major tournament of the year. The four-time grand slam singles winner will take a career break in 2023 to give birth to her first child. She shared a photo of her ultrasound on her social networks”. The daughter of Leonard Francois will remain away from the courts throughout 2023 and will return in 2024 at the Australian Open.

“One thing I look forward to is my child watching one of my matches and telling someone that’s my mom,” wrote the former world number one in English and Japanese.

As a reminder, Naomi Osaka has not participated in any competitive matches since her withdrawal from the Tokyo tournament last September due to abdominal pain. The winner of Melbourne 2019 and 2021 has fallen to 47th place in the WTA rankings.

Rigaldo Saint-Charles