Naomi Osaka’s Australian Open withdrawal explained as star reveals she is pregnant | Tennis | Sport

Tennis star Naomi Osaka has revealed that she is expecting her first child. The Japanese star recently pulled out of the upcoming Australian Open, with plenty of questions as to why she had decided to not take part in the first Slam of the year. But all has now been revealed after she posted the news of her pregnancy on social media. 

Osaka, 25, took to Twitter on Wednesday evening and shared a scan of her baby. And she wrote: “The past few years have been interesting to say the least, but I find that its 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.

“I realize that life is so short and I don’t take any moment for granted, everyday is a new blessing and adventure. 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 my matches and tell someone, ‘that’s my mom’ haha. 

“2023 will be a year that’s full of lessons for me and I hope to see you guys at the start of the next one because I’ll be at Aus 2024. Love you all infinitely. Sidenote: I don’t think there’s a perfectly correct path to take in life but I always felt if you move forward with good intentions you’ll find your way eventually.”

Osaka has won two Australian Open and two US Opens throughout her career, and would have been considered one of the favourites to claim glory Down Under once more had she not pulled out. It is not clear when she will return to the tennis court, but fans will certainly hope she follows through on her promise to appear at next year’s Australian Open.

Osaka has decided against appearing at a number of tournaments in recent years, and has been frank and honest about her mental health issues on more than one occasion. Former professional Martina Navratilova recently told Piers Morgan: “Maybe she doesn’t have to play all those matches, but she certainly has to play more than she has played.

“You don’t have to do it all. It has to suck your energy away from tennis. I’m all for broadening your horizons — I was never a one-trick pony — but tennis came first.”

“It doesn’t mean training harder, necessarily, but maybe sometimes doing nothing at all. Put your feet up or go to the beach.” The Australian Open starts next Monday, with Iga Swiatek the hot favourite to win the women’s side.