Naomi Osaka Claps Back at Critics Doubting Her Tennis Future After Pregnancy

Naomi Osaka cleared the air for those doubting her tennis career as she prepares to welcome her first child into the world with her boyfriend and rapper Cordae.

The four-time Grand Slam champion announced in January that she would miss the remainder of the 2023 season because of her pregnancy with the expectation to return for the ’24 Australian Open. On Friday evening, the 25-year-old tweeted her thoughts about the latest criticism from those who have taken interest in her tennis career since revealing she was pregnant.

“Btw to the people that are suddenly concerned about my career- There are plenty of male athletes with kids that are significantly less accomplished, you might wanna worry about them instead. Thanks for the concern, might wanna redirect it to someone that needs it though ????,” Osaka tweeted.

“Not trying to make this a male and female thing but let’s be fr.”

Btw to the people that are suddenly concerned about my career- There are plenty of male athletes with kids that are significantly less accomplished, you might wanna worry about them instead. Thanks for the concern, might wanna redirect it to someone that needs it though ????.

— NaomiOsaka大坂なおみ (@naomiosaka) May 12, 2023

Osaka withdrew from the 2023 Australian Open on Jan. 8, three days before she publicly announced that she was pregnant. She has not played in a professional match since last September when she withdrew ahead of her second-round match at the Toray Pan Pacific Open.

Still, Osaka plans to return to tennis and revealed in a recent interview with Elise Solé of TODAY.com that she is more concerned about the opportunity and “dream” of playing in front of her future child than playing in front of “millions of spectators.”

“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.com. “I think that moment will be surreal and I really look forward to the day that it actually happens. It really does feel like a dream to think of my own child in the stands watching me, and I’m so excited that I’ve got that coming in the not-so-distant future.”