Naomi Osaka gives birth to daughter, WTA announces

Former world No. 1 Naomi Osaka has given birth to a daughter, the WTA announced.

The four-time major champion announced her pregnancy in January, posting a photo of an ultrasound scan on her social media accounts, and in June, she confirmed that she and her boyfriend, rapper Cordae, would be welcoming a girl, reports CNN.

Osaka has not played since the Toray Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo in September last year, but has previously said she plans to return to tennis in 2024 for next year’s Australian Open, a tournament she has won on two previous occasions.

Osaka took some time away from competitive tennis and made several highly publicized disclosures about her struggles with mental health following an incident in August 2021, where she was visibly stressed and emotional while addressing the media during a mandatory news conference at Roland Garros.

Osaka subsequently pulled out of the French Open that year and revealed she had “suffered long bouts of depression” since winning her first major championship in 2018.

Alongside a photo announcing her pregnancy, Osaka wrote: “These few months away from the sport [have] really given me a new love and appreciation for the game I’ve dedicated my life to.

“I know that I have so much to look forward to in the future,” she added. “One thing I’m looking forward to is for my kid to watch one of my matches and tell someone, ‘that’s my mom.’”