Nick Kyrgios Fires Back at Hater in Stirring Defense of Naomi Osaka Amid Her Tearful US Open Exit

Naomi Osaka catches a lot of attention when she is on the court. This year’s US Open is no exception as her outfit has become a talking point among tennis circles. During her second-round match against Karolina Muchova, the Japanese tennis star sported a bomber jacket with a colored ribbon on the back, a dress that also had a smaller colored bow on the back, and a tiered ruffle skirt. While her outfit was quite impressive, her performance yesterday was in stark contrast. As a result, a fan slammed her on social media, which caught the attention of Nick Kyrgios.

A few hours ago, The Tennis Letter’s official X handle shared a comparison picture of Osaka’s two outfits from her first and second-round matches, asking the fans which one was better. While most of the fans picked one of those outfits, an angry fan had strong advice for Osaka. The fan wrote, “Who cares. She lost already. Maybe she should focus more on tennis than fashion? She’s not a threat anymore.”

The comment went viral and it even caught the attention of Nick Kyrgios, who has been a strong supporter of Naomi Osaka. On this occasion too, Kyrgios slammed the fan for his disrespectful comment, saying, “People care. The millions of kids that look up to her care. The people she gives hope to and the hope of chasing their dreams care. You won’t ever know what that feels like. She is and always will be a bigger threat than you. Big man.”

Interestingly, Osaka has inspired many young children to pursue the sport. Coming from a humble background, the Japanese star has gone on to win 4 Grand Slam titles, setting an example for the children to dream big. However, the last 12 months haven’t been easy for Osaka personally and it got even more even more difficult with her emotional US Open exit.

Naomi Osaka after US Open exit: ‘I do take these losses really personally’

After outfoxing Jelena Ostapenko in the first round in New York, Osaka was expected to go deep in the tournament. However, her journey at the US Open came to a disappointing halt as she bowed out of the event with a straight-set loss against Karolina Muchova by 6-3, 7-6 (5). The defeat was hard to absorb for Naomi Osaka, as she got emotional after giving her all on the court.

After the match, Osaka revealed, “It’s been a little difficult because obviously I can only gauge how I’m doing by results. Like, I feel faster. I feel better, but I lost in the second round….Yeah, it’s a little rough because I do take these losses really personally. It’s like a dramatic word, but I feel like my heart dies every time I lose. It sucks a lot, but I’ve been trying to be more mature and learn and talk more about them.”

Nonetheless, Osaka would look to come back strongly during the Asian swing, which begins after the US Open, and finish her season on a high. After an eventful US Open, can she find her lost mojo back? Let us know your views in the comments below.