Naomi Osaka has been blessed with a baby girl recently. The former world number one is as tenacious on the court, as she is in her life. She announced the news of her pregnancy back in January this year, via an Instagram post.
Osaka and her partner, Cordae welcomed their child in July this year. Grammy Award nominee Cordae also shared the baby’s name- Shai, during a recent performance at NF’s Hope Tour.
In June, the pro player hinted at expecting a baby girl on Instagram, when she uploaded a photo of herself surrounded by pink balloons. Both the baby and the mother were reported to be in good health.
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In an interview earlier this year, Naomi revealed that she and her partner had discussed names for their child. “We have been discussing names. I would say that we are going for something more unique than traditional,” she said.
Naomi disclosed how she thought she would have “a lot of cravings” during pregnancy but added, “I haven’t craved anything out of the ordinary.”
In a different interview for Vogue, Naomi opened up about missing out on tennis action. She said, “I remember following the Australian Open a little bit earlier this year, and it made me upset because I’ve never missed an Australian Open.”
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“I wouldn’t trade this for the world, but it was just hard to watch everyone competing over there [while I was] sitting out,” she added. Raising a child will be a different kind of challenge for Osaka and Cordae. But it is one neither of them will shy away from. Motherhood has made Naomi look at her career a bit differently but with greater appreciation.
Naomi Osaka announces her return in 2024
The 4 time Grand Slam champion has been away from tennis since September last year. She gave birth just a few weeks ago but she is already back to training. Just 15 days after giving birth to baby Shai, Osaka was spotted training at UCLA’s Drake Stadium. The video was circulated on social media and can be seen here.
Osaka had pulled out of the Australian Open due to her pregnancy, but she promised to return in 2024. Seems like she has started making good on her promise if the video of her training is anything to go by.
“I know that I have so much to look forward to in the future. One thing I am looking forward to is for my kid to watch my matches and tell someone ‘That’s my mom’ haha,” she wrote on Twitter.
“2023 will be a year full of lessons for me. I hope to see you guys at the start of the next one because I will be back at Australian Open 2024” said Osaka.
Naomi’s last few outings were disappointing. Riddled with injuries and a long break from the game due to her mental health, she dropped in the WTA rankings. As the former world number one prepares, her fans are happily anticipating her return to glory.
