Post: Baby on the way for 2018 BNP Champion, four-time Grand Slam singles champion Naomi Osaka

Tennis star Naomi Osaka shared news of "a little life update for 2023" on social media Wednesday, posting an image of an ultrasound scan and comments about looking forward to motherhood.

“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,” the four-time major champion wrote alongside the photo.

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— BNP Paribas Open (@BNPPARIBASOPEN) January 11, 2023

BNP Paribas Open tweeted a green heart in response.

Osaka said she plans to return to tennis in 2024 for next year’s Australian Open, a tournament she has won on two previous occasions.

The 25-year-old’s withdrawal from the upcoming Australian Open was announced by the competition’s organizers on Sunday.

Last week, 2022 Australian Open champion Ashleigh Barty announced she is pregnant.

Osaka has not played since the Toray Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo in September last year.

FROM MARCH: Naomi Osaka wins first match since heckling incident, says she started talking to a therapist after Indian Wells

She took some time away from competitive tennis and made several highly publicized disclosures about her struggles with mental health following an incident in August 2021, where she was visibly stressed and emotional while addressing the media during a mandatory news conference at Roland Garros.

Osaka subsequently pulled out of the French Open that year and revealed she had “suffered long bouts of depression” since winning her first major championship in 2018.

“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,” Osaka added in her statement on Wednesday.

CNN’s Hilary Whiteman contributed to reporting.