Naomi Osaka confirms baby’s gender during reveal party

Former world No 1 Naomi Osaka and boyfriend Cordae have held a gender reveal party ahead of the birth of their first child.
Four-time Grand Slam winner Osaka announced in January that she would sit out the 2023 tennis campaign as she is pregnant and a couple of months later she admitted that she is keeping the gender of her unborn baby a secret to Cordae.
However, the cat is now out of the bag as the dad-to-be found out during the gender reveal party.
In an Instagram post the 25-year-old tennis player confirmed that she is expecting a girl as “A little princess is on the way”.
The gender reveal party was a pink and lavender-themed celebration and the post on social media was accompanied by several photos, including one of Cordae kissing the mother-to-be’s baby bump.
Naturally the WTA Tour community was quick to congratulate Osaka with the likes of Sloane Stephens and Coco Gauff sending messages.
“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 told Today.com in an interview.
The Japanese star has made no secret of the fact that she plans to return to competitive tennis next year as she aims to back in action at the Australian Open in January and has also set her sights on the Paris Olympics.
READ MORE: Mom-to-be Naomi Osaka shuts down detractors – ‘Thanks for the concern, might wanna redirect it’
She will follow in the footsteps of the likes of Serena Williams, Kim Clijsters, Victoria Azarenka and Margaret Court who all made successful returns after giving birth.
“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.
She added: “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.”
READ MORE: Who is Naomi Osaka’s boyfriend Cordae?
Latest
-
Tennis Features
Six ways clay courts are superior to hard courts
Clay courts often get a bad rap with the odd player gripe repeated endlessly in the media, but the surface has a number of big upsides.
-
Tennis News
WATCH: Intense Felix Auger-Aliassime brushes off Laver Cup spat with Gael Monfils
Felix Auger-Aliassime and Gael Monfils shared some heated moments after the Canadian complained to the umpire during their Laver Cup clash.
-
ATP Tour
More questions for Andy Murray to answer after another agonising defeat
Andy Murray blew an early lead as he crashed to defeat against Aslan Karatsev in the last 16.
-
Tennis News
Roger Federer reveals what he misses about tennis as Rafael Nadal surprises him
Speaking in an interview with former world No 1 Jim Courier at the Laver Cup, the 20-time Grand Slam champion reflected on how his life chan
-
US Open
Top coach spotted Coco Gauff’s potential very early on
Patrick Mouratoglou has revealed that Coco Gauff left a big impression on him during their first meeting.
-
Tennis News
British star set for rankings breakthrough after a decade on the ATP Tour
Liam Broady set to break into the top 100 of the ATP rankings for the first time.
-
Tennis News
Guadalajara proves a balm for Maria Sakkari’s suffering once again
Maria Sakkari feels that the bond between herself and Guadalajara has grown closer after another deep run in the Mexican city.
-
Tennis News
Novak Djokovic hits raw nerve with tennis chiefs after latest controversial comments
Djokovic has made some radical proposals that would ensure the huge amounts of cash being generated by gambling goes to tennis players.
-
Tennis News
Ben Shelton salutes the three players who have taken him under their wing
Ben Shelton has paid homage to the brotherhood of the top American men in the game.
-
Tennis News
Can Cameron Norrie still reach the ATP Tour finals powered by strong Asian swing?
Cameron Norrie is out to reach the ATP Tour finals this term.