Naomi Osaka has dismissed recent rumors about her being pregnant and shared her thoughts on childbirth.
On August 18, the 26-year-old tennis star took to TikTok to clarify the speculation. In response to a fan’s comment asking if she was “expecting again,” Osaka directly denied the rumors. “I just want to say I’m not pregos,” she stated in her video.
Osaka also revealed that she does not plan to have many more children. She described her previous birth as traumatic, saying, “If I was [pregnant], I wouldn’t want many more because giving birth was traumatic. But thank you, though, for your blessings.”
In the caption of her TikTok post, Osaka added, “Ty for your best wishes? I guess?”
Last year, Osaka gave birth to her first child, a daughter named Shai, with rapper Cordae. Although she has previously described childbirth as traumatic, Osaka has also shared that it was a meaningful experience.
In an interview with Glamour in January, Osaka discussed how the birth of her daughter made her feel empowered. She said, “People talk about childbirth, but it’s different once you experience it. I just feel like I can do anything and nothing will bother me, and the pain tolerance has definitely increased a lot from that.” She emphasized that the experience helped her care less about others’ opinions.
Osaka has also talked about the difficulties she faced during her pregnancy. In a December interview with InStyle, she noted the challenges of pregnancy, saying, “I don’t think people know how hard pregnancy is; no one really talks about it as much. Going into it, you kind of think: ‘Oh, it’s this beautiful journey.’ But it’s kind of rough.”
She recounted the pain of labor, describing it as the “worst pain of my life” but also a transformative experience. “I remember feeling in that moment, ‘This is the worst pain of my life. And I know that if I get through this, then everything else will feel very easy,’” she said. She also mentioned the “huge adjustment period” after bringing her baby home, noting how “everything’s different” from that moment on.
Osaka returned to the WTA Tour in January after a 15-month hiatus. Recently, she competed in the second round of qualifying for the Cincinnati Open but was defeated by Ashlyn Krueger.
Following her loss, Osaka shared on Instagram on August 13 about the physical challenges she is facing. She expressed frustration, saying, “My biggest issue currently isn’t losses though, my biggest issue is that I don’t feel like I’m in my body. It’s a strange feeling, missing balls I shouldn’t miss, hitting balls softer than I remember I used to.” She described the mental drain and the sensation of her game feeling “almost brand new” despite her extensive experience.
Osaka acknowledged that she may still be adjusting to playing tennis after giving birth. She compared her current feelings to being post-partum and expressed concern, stating, “I’ve played a handful of matches this year that I felt like I was myself and I know this moment is probably just a small phase from all the new transitions.”
Despite these challenges, Osaka remains committed to her training and is determined to set an example for her daughter. “I want to teach my daughter that she can achieve so many things with hard work and perseverance. I want her to aim for the stars and never think her dreams are too big,” she said.
