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[ad_1] MIAMI: Former world number one Naomi Osaka announced on Wednesday that she is pregnant and will be taking a break from tennis until 2024. "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 my matches and tell someone, 'That's my mom' haha," she wrote on Twitter, accompanied by an ultrasound picture of a pregnancy scan. "2023 will be a year full of lessons for me, and I hope I'll see you guys at the start of the next one cause I will be back at the Australian Open 2024. Love you all infinitely," she added. The 25-year-old Osaka has not played a tennis match since September and her withdrawal from the Australian Open , which starts next week, had puzzled many observers. Her social media posts in recent months had shown her travelling in Europe with her boyfriend, American rapper Cordae. The two have been together since 2019. Osaka had not explained her absence ...

[ad_1] LONDON: Fifty years after playing a leading role in the revolutionary foundation of the Women's Tennis Association, Billie Jean King remains a "visionary" with a message for the next generation. Fuelled by her desire to ensure female players were paid the same prize money as their male counterparts, King was the catalyst behind the WTA's birth at a London hotel in 1973. Now 79, King, a 12-time Grand Slam singles champion, remains fiercely committed to the cause of equality, while also keeping a close eye on trends that affect the modern player. And, on her return to the Gloucester Hotel on Friday to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the WTA, the American was keen to pass on her wisdom to the young stars who are the future of women's tennis. Female players including Naomi Osaka , Paula Badosa and Amanda Anisimova have highlighted their struggles with mental health issues on the tennis circuit, a high-pressure environment that often leaves compet...