By Richard Pagliaro | @Tennis_Now | Wednesday, July 12, 2023
Naomi Osaka is a new mom!
The four-time Grand Slam champion gave birth to a baby girl in Los Angeles.
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The baby is Osaka’s first child with long-time partner Cordae.
Osaka announced she was pregnant in January.
Last February, Osaka said she knew her baby’s gender, but Cordae did not know.
“I’ve been preparing, but he doesn’t know the gender yet, only I know,” Osaka told People Magazine in a West Hollywood interview last February. “So it’s not like I can build out the room or anything.”
Last month, Osaka posted a series of images from her baby’s gender reveal party with the banner “A Little Princess Is on The Way” and a shot of Cordae kissing her stomach.
The 2018 and 2020 US Open champion said she was approaching pregnancy the way she conducted her tennis career: be inspired to improvise.
“So I don’t know, [I’m] just kind of winging it,” Osaka told People Magazine. “That’s kind of the key motto in my life a little.”
The 25-year-old Osaka, who has been in a relationship with rapper Cordae since 2019, has said she will take a sabbatical from the sport and hopes to return at the 2024 Australian Open.
Osaka will join prominent fellow former world No. 1 players Caroline Wozniacki and Angelique Kerber in returning to the WTA Tour after giving birth.
Former Australian Open champion Wozniacki, who has been working as a tennis television analyst, has received a wild card into next month’s US Open. Kerber plans to launch her comeback in January and aims to play the 2024 Australian Open.
Osaka has already discussed her post-pregnancy comeback with a couple of Hall of Fame legends: Andre Agassi and wife Steffi Graf.
The former world No. 1 said her pregnancy and time away from tennis has given her a fresh perspective and greater appreciation for the sport.
“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,” Osaka posted on Instagram announcing her pregnancy last January. “I realize that life is so short and I don’t want to take any moments for granted, every day is a new blessing and a new 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 one of my matches and tell someone ‘that’s my mom,’ haha.”
Photo credit: Getty
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