Australia Open: Osaka announces pregnancy

• Published date: 12 January 2023
• Publication title: Nigeria - The Nation

Former world number one Naomi Osaka announced yesterday that she is pregnant and will be taking a break from tennis until 2024.

'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,' she wrote on Twitter, accompanied by a picture of a pregnancy scan.

'2023 will be a year full of lessons for me, and I hope I'll see you guys at the start of the next one cause I will be back at the Australian Open 2024. Love you all infinitely,' she added.

The 25-year-old Osaka has not played a tennis match since September and her withdrawal from the Australian Open, which starts next week, had puzzled many observers.

Osaka had not explained her absence until yesterday.

Her last tournament appearance was at the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo in September, where the home favourite withdrew before her second-round match, complaining of abdominal pain.

The top ranked player in the world in...