Naomi Osaka hints at tennis comeback days after giving birth to first child
Naomi Osaka has dropped hints about her tennis comeback plans after taking maternity leave to give birth to her first child.
Osaka's boyfriend and rapper Cordae recently announced the birth of their daughter during a recent concert. He also revelated that they named their newborn Shai.
The former World No. 1 took to social media on Thursday, July 13, to share a partial picture of her daughter. In the post, she also talked about making a return to tennis action soon.
"Well that was a cool little intermission, now back to your regularly scheduled program," she tweeted.
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Well that was a cool little intermission, now back to your regularly scheduled program 🎾✌🏾💕 https://t.co/M6jZXqbRMm
While there haven't been any concrete details about her comeback plans, Osaka stated earlier this year that she would take the entire year to recover from her pregnancy and be back in time for the 2024 Australian Open.
"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. I realize that life is so short and I don't take any moments for granted, everyday is a new blessing and adventure," she said in a social media post.
"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 added.
The 25-year-old, however, had stated earlier that she had six months to get back in shape for the Melbourne Major.
"The baby is due in June or July, so I have August, September, October, November and December. I have almost six months," she opined.
"I want to try to win the Olympics next year" - Noami Osaka has high expectations from her tennis comeback
During her time on the sidelines, Noami Osaka took part in several social media interactions with her fans. In one such Q&A session, she expressed her desire to win more Grand Slams as well as an Olympic medal.
When asked how many more Majors she would like to win, Osaka said:
"Eight."
She also expressed her desire to clinch the Olympic gold medal, saying:
"I want to try to win the Olympics next year."
Osaka last won a Grand Slam match at the 2022 Australian Open, where she reached the third round before losing to Amanda Anisimova. She lost to the same opponent in the first round of the French Open later, before losing her opening match against Danielle Collins at the US Open.