The tennis world is missing Naomi Osaka as she is experiencing the joys of pregnancy. Still, she recently gave the world a glimpse into the gender of her and rapper Cordae’s baby. In an Instagram post, the 25-year-old tennis player confirmed that she expects a girl with the caption, “A little princess is on the way.”
From the images, the gender reveal party had a pink and lavender theme, and the happy mother-to-be and prospective father were in high spirits, with Cordae kissing the young tennis great’s baby bump. The comments on the social media post were full of sports and culture stars like Coco Gauff, Naomi Campbell, Yara Shahidi and more all congratulating her.
“It was hard to keep it a secret, but I also knew it would be much more fun to surprise him and everyone else during the party, so it was worth the wait,” Osaka said to Today.com.
But Will She Return To Tennis?
Osaka shared that she was pregnant in January after dating Cordae for four years. She revealed the news on Twitter with a picture of the ultrasound and and extended caption: “The past few years have been interesting to say the least, but I find that it’s the most challenging times in life that may be the most fun. 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.”
With the pending birth of her first child, the tennis star knows that speculation is rife about her return to tennis after this family hiatus. However, she made no secret that she plans to return to competitive tennis next year, as she aims to be back in action at the Australian Open in January and has her sights set on the Paris Olympics.
Osaka has been 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 last month.
“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.”
Yes. She. Will.
Osaka is taking offense to the apparent double standard for male athletes having children and taking off from competition while still having the ability to perform at a high level versus the presumption that it is much more challenging for a woman athlete. For Osaka, it is a non-issue.
“I’m most excited about being able to have a kid in the stands watching me play tennis, and them being able to say ‘Hey, that’s my mom on the court,'” Osaka told Today. “Tennis takes a lot of patience — whether that’s patience with the time it takes to develop a training routine and get in the best shape possible or patience on the court when waiting for the perfect shot to close the point.
“I know parenthood will require a lot of patience in many other ways and I’m really just feeling optimistic and grateful for all that’s ahead.”
