After Disappointing Fans, Naomi Osaka Harks Back on Childhood Moment to Hilariously Reveal Crucial Tennis Decision

Naomi Osaka’s season has been anything but smooth. The star player has faced one challenge after another, with early exits in most of the tournaments she entered this year. Just when it seemed like things might finally be turning around for the Japanese sensation, an injury struck, forcing her to step back once again. Now, as Osaka takes some much-needed time away from the courts, she’s hilariously reflecting on her childhood—a likely response to the mental and physical toll her recent struggles have taken.

Osaka encountered major trouble during her campaign at the China Open. She uneasily moved off the court, with Gauff helping by carrying her bag back to the locker room. She later acknowledged that she had persistent back pain that forced her to retire to prioritize her health. This also led her to halt her other campaigns, and she has now shared the heartbreaking decision to stay away from the Japan Open as well.

The Japan Tennis Association updated earlier about Osaka’s participation and said, “Due to injury, Naomi Osaka has decided to withdraw from the tournament.”  Now, it feels like the star player is taking a humorous side to her struggles, as she shared an intriguing 5-word post on Threads. 

The 26-year-old shared a post by an Instagram User, that read, “I wasn’t half bad at tennis I think I wanna make that a thing.” Captioning it, Osaka wrote, “Me when I turned 12,” highlighting that she decided to make the sport a ‘thing’ for her when she was still in her early teens. While she did not directly mention that it was related to the Japan Open withdrawal, the timing of the post was in the backdrop of the crucial situation. Naomi Osaka started playing tennis at a very young age and has remained competitive since then. 

The star player picked up a racquet when she was just 3. As she started to learn more about the sport, she was fueled by the motivation to beat her sister Mari, which eventually happened after 12 years. “It was probably one of the biggest moments of my career,” Osaka said about the moment. Meanwhile, the China Open crisis seems to have brought some free time for the Japanese star. 

Taking to her threads earlier, Osaka shared, “Honestly this is probably the most active I will ever get on social media and you can owe it to being bored in Beijing airport LOL.” It is probably for this reason that the star player is not letting her critics go away that easily and is taking intense digs at them as well. 

When Naomi Osaka clapped back at critics over ‘Fluke’ remark

Naomi Osaka has proved her mettle on the tennis courts over the years. Despite staying away from the sport for over a year due to her pregnancy, Osaka was quick to gain momentum and inch closer to breaking into the top 50 once again. However, after her withdrawal from the China Open, Osaka shared an angry response to the criticism she faced.

The Japanese sensation took to Instagram threads and slammed a spectator for allegedly calling her a ‘fluke.’ “I just saw someone call me a fluke. How is it possible to be a fluke with 4 grand slams, lighting the Olympic torch, beating multiple top 20 opponents and being close to top 50 the year after giving birth ? Foh, you couldn’t even touch one of my accomplishments with your fingernail,” Osaka wrote. As soon as her post gained traction, she also witnessed immense support from the tennis community that rallied behind her. 

Remember, Osaka revealed that she felt pain even before the beginning of the match but still wanted to give it a try. However, her struggles continued to increase and forced her to withdraw from the tournament in Beijing. For now, it will be interesting to see how soon the star player can overcome her struggles and return to the courts in her old dominant form.