Billie Jean King marks birth of Shohei Ohtani’s daughter with sweet offer to coach her in tennis someday

Billie Jean King extended her congratulations to Japanese professional baseball player Shohei Ohtani and his wife, Mamiko, on the birth of their first child, a daughter. In a sweet gesture, King also offered to coach Ohtani's daughter in tennis someday.

Ohtani currently plays as a pitcher and designated hitter for the Los Angeles Dodgers in Major League Baseball (MLB). He recently took to social media to announce the birth of his daughter and also shared a heartwarming photo of his and Mamiko's hands holding their newborn's feet

In his announcement, Ohtani expressed gratitude to the Los Angeles Dodgers, his teammates, and his fans for their support

"Welcome to the Ohtani Family! I am so grateful to my loving wife who gave birth to our healthy beautiful daughter. To my daughter, thank you for making us very nervous yet super anxious parents. I would also like to thank the Dodgers organization, my teammates, and the fans for their constant support and kind words of encouragement," Ohtani wrote

The Japanese also thanked the medical professionals who assisted during the birth

"I would also like to express my sincere gratitude to all the medical professionals and everyone who dedicated their support to us, up until this wonderful day," he added.

Reacting to the birth Shohai Ohtani's daughter, former World No.1, Billie Jean King took to social media and congratulated the new parents. She also mentioned that she would like to train their daughter in tennis when the time is right

"Congratulations, Shohei and Mamiko! We're happy to teach her tennis whenever she's ready. 😉," King commented.

Screen grab of Billie Jean King's comment [Image Source: Instagram]

King also shared Ohtani's post on her social media, extending her best wishes for the family's "happiness" and "health ."

"Congratulations to @shoheiohtani and his wife Mamiko on the arrival of their daughter! Wishing the family great happiness and continued health for all!" King captioned her Instagram story.

Screen grab of King's Instagram story [Image Source: Instagram/@billiejeanking]

In his career, Shohei Ohtani has been awarded the Most Valuable Player Award three times. In addition to playing for the Los Angeles Dodgers, he has also played for the Los Angeles Angels . He has also previously competed in the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters from 2013–2017

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Billie Jean King was congratulated by Shohei Ohtani for her Hollywood Walk of Fame induction

Billie Jean King with her star On The Hollywood Walk Of Fame [Image Source: Getty Images]

On April 7, 2025, Billie Jean King was honored with the 2,807th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in the newly established sports entertainment category. The category was created in 2023 to recognize the contributions of athletes to the entertainment industry .

After the induction, Shohei Ohtani took to social media to extend his congratulations to King on receiving the star.

"Congratulations on winning a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Also, good luck in the Billie Jean King Cup this week. Good luck to the Japanese representatives!" Ohtani wrote.

Billie Jean King retired from tennis with 39 Grand Slam titles to her name, including 12 in singles, 16 in women's doubles, and 11 in mixed doubles. She won her final Major title at the 1980 US Open in women's doubles, where she has partnered with Martina Navratilova.