Despite a setback in Australia due to an abdominal injury that forced her to take an indefinite break, Naomi Osaka seems to be enjoying her unofficial ‘off-season’ well. The four-time Major winner keeps her fans updated through social media updates. Remember the outfits she flaunted earlier this week while traveling to California? But she also doesn’t miss when it comes to interacting with her avid followers in Q&As. And guess what? This time, the former World No.1 ended up teasing them with a mysterious reference regarding her personal life. Interestingly, it involves an anime connection too! What’s cooking up?

Let’s get some context here first. For the uninitiated, Osaka happens to be a huge anime lover. In fact, she even landed her voice for a character last year. The anime series was titled Allure: The Evening Primrose, being produced by her own production company Hana Kuma. Then at the US Open, in August 2024, the Japanese tennis star sported anime vibes through her Nike outfit, representing her cultural roots and Harajuku fashion. Interestingly, her ex-boyfriend and American rapper Cordae was a die-hard anime lover too. In fact, they used to watch various shows together when they were in a relationship. Last month, Osaka parted ways with him with “No bad blood at all”, as she wrote on her Instagram story. “Honestly really glad our paths crossed because my daughter is my biggest blessing and I was able to grow a lot from our experiences together.” 

So Osaka kept a Q&A session on her Instagram on Sunday. As expected, several eager fans asked her intriguing questions. One of them, however, was keen to know whether she was still in contact with Cordae. Although they didn’t directly reference him, there was a guessing game left for everyone. “Do you still watch anime with ‘you know who'”?

However, it was Naomi’s response that posed even more mystery for her fans. Why so? Giving the answer, she wrote, “I’ve never watched anime with Voldemort a day in my life. What do you mean???” Well, our question is the same: what exactly did she mean?

Well, that’s something only Osaka can clarify in case she comes up with an official update. But when it comes to tennis, there’s definitely a positive update for her avid fans. She’s coming back on the court soon. But where?

Naomi Osaka confirms her comeback WTA event in the 2025 season

Naomi Osaka began her journey on a positive note this season. At the ASB Classic, she reached the final battle but couldn’t lift the trophy. Her abdominal injury forced her to withdraw from the championship match despite the fact that she was leading 6-4 against her opponent Clara Tauson. Then at the Australian Open, the same issue resurfaced.

In the third round against Belinda Bencic, Osaka decided to pull herself out of the court because of the abdominal strain. It’s been over a month since she was last seen in action. But the wait is going to get over next month – finally! In the same Q&A session on Sunday, the Japanese star revealed she will compete at the BNP Paribas Open. “I’m playing Indian Wells”, she wrote in her story. It will be intriguing to see how she performs in this comeback event. Why so?

Well, her track record in Indian Wells isn’t too impressive. Speaking of recent appearances, she failed to impress in 2022’s edition. In the second round, Veronika Kudermetova ousted her with a score line of 6-0, 6-4. The same was the story last season, too, upon her return after giving birth to daughter Shai. She made it to the third round but then Belgian’s Elise Mertens eliminated her 7-5, 6-4.

Can she impress this time? Only time will tell. But coming back to her latest cryptic update, what do you think? What could be the hidden meaning behind her ‘Voldemort’ reference? Let us know in the comments below.