Japanese tennis star Naomi Osaka turned heads on Thursday as a video emanating on social media showed her being put on her paces just days after giving birth.
Earlier this year, Osaka made public the news of her pregnancy and pulled out of the 2023 Australian Open. She shut down her season even before it started and targeted a return to competition in January 2024. In June, Osaka announced that she was expecting a baby girl in an Instagram photo with the backdrop, 'A little princess is on the way'.
The four-time Grand Slam champion with her boyfriend, rapper Cordae, welcomed their first child this past week, in Los Angeles. But it looks like Osaka is not ready to rest on her laurels and is utilizing her postpartum time to train and get back to peak physical condition.
Osaka has not played since the spring of 2022. She was in action at the Japan Open in Tokyo where she subsequently withdrew from the event due to illness. Osaka has also taken up her maternity break to address her mental health struggles. Osaka has previously admitted she has suffered long bouts of depression since winning her first major at the 2018 US Open.
Although speculation is rife that Osaka might actually return to the courts sooner than anticipated, it will be interesting to keep a closer look at the former world no. 1 on the WTA Tour in the coming weeks to see if there will be any new developments regarding a change of plans. As per her initial post in January, she intends to join the tour during the Australian summer next season.
The 25-year-old will join the likes of Victoria Azarenka, Elina Svitolina, and Tatjana Maria who form part of a new wave of returning mothers who have enjoyed a reasonable level of success in the second phase of their careers.
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