Former world number one Naomi Osaka announced on Wednesday that she is pregnant and will take a break from tennis until 2024.
“I know that I have a lot to look forward to in the future, one thing I want is for my son to watch my matches and tell people, ‘That’s my mom’ haha,” she wrote on Twitter, accompanied by a picture of her pregnancy scan.
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“2023 will be a year full of lessons for me, and I hope to see you at the next start as I will be back at the Australian Open 2024. Love you all endlessly,” he added.
Osaka, 25, has not played tennis since September and her withdrawal from the Australian Open, which starts next week, has puzzled many observers.
Osaka had not explained its absence until Wednesday.
Her last tournament appearance was at the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo in September, where the home favorite withdrew before her second-round match, complaining of a stomach ache.
The highest ranked player in the world in 2019, the Japanese player, who grew up in the United States, is currently ranked 47th in the world.
Osaka has won four Grand Slam singles titles with victories at the Australian Open in 2019 and 2021 and the US Open in 2018 and 2020.
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She was named the best female athlete in the world for 2022 by Forbes, with an income of $51.1 million.
His commercial success was not evident on court last year, but he lost in the first round at the French and US Open and withdrew from Wimbledon with an Achilles injury.
“These few months away from sports have really given me a new love and appreciation for the game I have dedicated my life to. I realize that life is so short, and I don’t take any time for granted; every day is a blessing and a new adventure,” he wrote in a statement on Wednesday.
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