Photo: naomi osaka/instagram
The soon-to-be mom kept the caption simple with the Japanese flag.
On her Instagram Story, she shared another photo of her bump as she held it in a close-up image.
At the time, she shared an Instagram carousel featuring a photo of an ultrasound screen, captioning the shot, “Can’t wait to get back on the court but here’s a little life update for 2023.”
In a message shared in English and Japanese in the following slides, Osaka shared reflections on her next chapter.
“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,” she wrote.
“I realize that life is so short and I don’t take any moments for granted, every day is a new blessing and adventure. I know that I have so much to look forward to in the future, one thing I’m looking forward to is for my kid to watch one of my matches and tell someone, ‘that’s my mom,’ haha,” Osaka continued.
Osaka also vowed to get back to tennis after welcoming her new arrival, writing, “2023 will be a year that’ll be full of lessons for me and I hope I’ll see you guys in the start of the next one cause I’ll be at Aus 2024. Love you all infinitely.”
As a “sidenote,” the Japanese tennis pro added, “I don’t think there’s a perfectly correct path to take in life, but I always felt that if you move forward with good intentions, you’ll find your way eventually.”
“I’ve been preparing, but he doesn’t know the gender yet, only I know,” Osaka told PEOPLE, referencingCordae. “So it’s not like I can build out the room or anything.”
Osaka continued, “So I don’t know, [I’m] just kind of winging it. That’s kind of the key motto in my life a little.”
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The athlete is especially looking forward to two things in the next year: the birth of her little one and her return to the tennis court.
“I think what I’m looking forward to most is the challenges and just learning,” Osaka said of motherhood. “I think there’s going to be a lot of things that I don’t know, but I have a lot of really amazing people close to me that I can ask questions about. Just a new adventure.”
source: people.com
