Tennis star Naomi Osaka is clapping back at fans predicting her downfall post-pregnancy. Osaka revealed in the past that the baby she is having with boyfriend and hip-hop artist Cordae is due sometime in June or July, and she is feeling the shade from her fans who believe she will end up just another rapper’s baby’s mother.
“To the people that are suddenly concerned about my career- There are plenty of male athletes with kids that are significantly less accomplished,” Osaka posted on social media.
“You might wanna worry about them instead. Thanks for the concern, might wanna redirect it to someone that needs it though,” the tennis star added. “Not trying to make this a male and female thing but let’s be fr.”
Ain’t Worried About Nothing
The alluding to a double standard for male athletes with children still having the ability to perform at a high level has more to do with the presumption of body evolution versus the time management any parent has to factor into their lives before children. For Osaka, it is a non-issue that she is taking offense at, and for a good reason, as she is constantly questioned about her choice to become a mother.
Last month during an interview with a Japanese news outlet, she was highly criticized by the interviewing host and attempted to explain her perspective on the pregnancy.
“I think for me; it was the opposite way. I found out, and then I was like, ‘OK, I’m going to definitely play better and be a better player after this.’ For me, it just made me want to try harder to be the best that I can be. I’ll be in Australia next year.
When the interviewer said Osaka dropped out of the Australian Open “a little bit too quick(ly),” she emphatically said, “no!”
“So the baby is in June, July, and then I have August, September, October, November, December, January; six months,” Osaka in explaining her ability to train after her pregnancy.
Paid The Cost To Be A Mom
At 25 years old, Osaka is more accomplished than most male peers. Osaka has been ranked world No. 1 in singles by the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) and is the first Asian player to hold the top ranking in singles. Osaka is a four-time Grand Slam singles champion, the daughter of a Haitian father and Japanese mother, with two Australian Open and two US Open titles.
In 2018, Osaka scored the biggest win of her career, becoming the first Japanese player to win a Grand Slam title by beating Serena Williams 6-2, 6-4 at the US Open.
Her seven titles on the WTA Tour also include two at the Premier Mandatory level. At the 2018 US Open and the 2019 Australian Open, Osaka won her first two major titles in back-to-back tournaments. She was the first woman to win successive major singles titles since Serena Williams in 2015.
Motherhood might be her biggest challenge yet, but she’s certain it is not insurmountable. Now the world must wait and see if one of the tennis world’s top athletes will ever be the same.
