Naomi Osaka Accused of Stealing Christopher Eubanks’ Motto in Light-Hearted Banter

Naomi Osaka is ready to swing her racquets high up in the air at Wimbledon! After four years of missing the tournament, the Japanese tennis pro is finally going to return with her magic on the grass. However, in an attempt to share a glimpse of her preparation before the Grand Slam begins, Osaka has found herself in a hilarious yet “oops” worthy moment. After all, she might share her interest in tennis with her colleagues in the sport, but an Instagram post caption? Well, Christopher Eubanks didn’t expect that!

The whole incident began when Christopher Eubanks, during his Halle Open tournament, shared a few pictures on Instagram from his tournament in Germany. The caption of the post goes, “Sometimes you gotta pop out and show 🥷🏾s.” A Kendrick Lamar fan then! 

Surprisingly, Naomi Osaka thought the same thing! Just a week after Eubanks’ post, Osaka shared a video on Instagram where she’s hitting with her racquet, going through an intense practice session, showcasing her zeal to add a fifth Grand Slam to her bucket. However, she used the same caption under the post.

Osaka is a Kendrick Lamar fan as well because earlier this year, while talking about his song, “Not Like Us,” Osaka said, “Kendrick dropped some heat that last song. That last song is amazing, and I played it walking onto the court. Currently, I think Kendrick’s doing a good job.” And now, the song has slipped from her playlist to an Instagram post! 

Surprised at finding the same lyric from Lamar’s Not Like Us, the ATP American tennis pro wasn’t having it! Dropping a cheeky comment below the post, the 28-year-old ATP player wrote, “So you just gonna take my caption like that?” Seeing this friendly banter between the duo, the question that arises in everyone’s mind is, are the two tennis star friends off-court? The answer is yes!

It turns out Christopher Eubanks had shared more than just his caption with Naomi Osaka. Eubanks and Osaka, along with Coco Gauff, used to practice together in the same court in the U.S., a place where their bond slowly grew. Naturally, their camaraderie extended beyond the boundaries of sport.

However, at Wimbledon this year, both of them are returning to show their fierce nature on-court. In the case of Osaka, her Wimbledon journey over the last few years has not been ideal. After participating in 2019, she has skipped the event four times, the last time being in 2023, when she was pregnant. On the other hand, Eubanks’ Wimbledon performance has improved over the last couple of years. Last year, he even qualified for the quarterfinals as well. However, when it comes to giving credit to his success with racquets, especially at Wimbledon, the American is full of praise for the Japanese.

Christopher Eubanks shares how Naomi Osaka helped him believe in himself

After debuting in the top 100 for the first time in his career, his Wimbledon performance last year further emphasized his love for the game. Although he couldn’t overpower Daniil Medvedev in the quarterfinals, Chris Eubanks’ journey is nothing short of remarkable. However, according to him, he owes all the appreciation to Naomi Osaka and Coco Gauff. “They’ve been saying for a long time that they feel like I belong at this level…I don’t know if I really believed I could put it together match after match after match against quality opponents.”

Further adding, he said, “That’s something Coco has been telling me for a long time. Naomi even says the same thing. That’s kind of been the main thing of just reinforcing and instilling confidence. Hey, you can play at this level, you just got to believe it.”

Christopher Eubanks might not share his caption with Naomi Osaka. However, when it comes to appreciating her for her love and support, Eubanks never backs down!