Japanese and Haitian-American tennis star Naomi Osaka announces her pregnancy on her social media accounts.
This will be the first child for the 25-year-old and her partner rapper Cordae. On Instagram and Twitter announced this exciting news, alongside a picture of a sonogram.
“ The past few years have been interesting to say the least, but I find that it’s 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, she wrote in the first half of the message.
“I realize that life is so short and I don’t take any moments for granted, every day 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 one of my matches and tell someone, ‘that’s my mom, haha,’. 2023 will be a year that’ll be full of lessons for me and I hope I’ll see you guys in the start of the next one cause I’ll be at Aus 2024. Love you all infinitely, she continued.
She ended off the post with: “I don’t think there’s a perfectly correct path to take in life, but I always felt that if you move forward with good intentions, you’ll find your way eventually.”
Osaka and Cordae
Osaka and Cordae first started dating back in 2018 and were first spotted together at a Lakers game.
“We were dating for almost a year before people knew about us. So we kind of move very reclusively,” Cordae said in a GQ interview with Osaka. “We don’t really post intimate moments, because I feel as though they’re sacred. A relationship is really a sacred thing. Once you let outside influences get into it, it becomes less sacred.”
Cordae, was a member of the collective YBN from 2018-2020 and since gained two Grammy nominations under his belt. With both Osaka and Cordae leading two different career paths, it was hard for them at first to get used to their schedules.
“In the beginning. Just because he has such a completely different work style than me,” said Osaka in the couple’s joint GQ Interview. “ I start super early in the morning, and then I end late afternoon. But I feel like for him everything starts at night. So it was kind of hard to adjust to that in the beginning. But when I did, I felt pretty comfortable. I wouldn’t say there was a moment where I felt like he did when he went to the Open or anything like that.”
Mental Health Awareness
Osaka who rose to prominence after beating Serena Williams in the 2018 Open Final, has since spread her entrepreneurial wings. In 2021, she launched her skincare line label KINLÒ, and then a sports media agency the following year. Her most recent venture was the release of a children’s book, ‘The Way Champs Play’. Alongside all her pursuits, the tennis pro has stood up for racial equality and mental health awareness.
In an interview with Good Morning America, she discussed why she felt it was important to prioritize her mental health and withdraw from the 2021 French Open.
“I felt like it was necessary, but I kind of felt ashamed in that moment because as an athlete you’re kind of told to be strong and kind of push through everything,” Osaka said in the interview. “But I think it learned that it’s better to regroup and address the feelings that you have in that moment, and you can come back stronger.”