Making a turnaround does the trick for anyone who’s endured physical changes and a drop in form. Off the dome, Naomi Osaka‘s name comes into play when discussing a tricky situation as such. The Japanese star hasn’t had much luck on the Tour since her return to the sport after a pregnancy hiatus. However, with a pivotal change in her coaching team (partnering with Patrick Mouratoglou), Osaka only started to catch the momentum. Regardless, naysayers lambasted those efforts, earning them the courtesy of the Japanese’s trashing.

Osaka and American Coco Gauff locked horns for the first time in over two years at the China Open. Though the electrifying showdown delivered its hype, an unfortunate premature end to their contest came after the former World No. 1 retired mid-match – having sustained a lower back injury. With both players vying for a place in the QF, Osaka broke the American sensation en route to a one-set advantage. However, Gauff was quick to bounce and forced a decider after clinching the second set. Things only went downhill for Osaka from there.

Visibly in pain during the second set’s closing stages, Osaka decided to concede the contest after experiencing signs of physical discomfort, greeting Gauff with a hug and an apology. With this, Gauff walked away with a 3-6, 6-4, ret. win. An unfortunate incident, indeed, but that did not stop critics from throwing shade at the 26-year-old. Taking to social media, belittlers threw staunch criticism on Osaka after tagging her laudable achievements as a ‘one-time wonder’.

Shaken by such harsh comments, the four-time Grand Slam champion clapped back at critics by giving them a rundown of her impressive resume… all the while getting bored waiting for a flight out of Beijing. She wrote, “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 the top 50 the year after giving birth? Foh, you couldn’t even touch my accomplishments with your fingernail,” on IG Threads.

Furthermore, Osaka took to her IG story and reposted the same thread asking her fans, “did I lieeee????” We all would agree, she didn’t. Moreover, the story that followed had a 2020 post from a fan page named “giselleiv4″. In there, Nick Minaj, the Trinidadian rapper and singer-songwriter, can be seen alongside CRWN, screaming, “did i lie, did i lie, did i f*cking lieeeeeeeeeee????” To which, Osaka captioned, “exactly”.

Before leaving the Beijing event, Osaka provided fans with unknown details about her retirement against Gauff. To much discontent, the 26-year-old highlighted issues that can prove problematic for her upcoming adventures.

Naomi Osaka details ‘progressively worse’ injury at the China Open

Japanese superstar Naomi Osaka was running a clean show until her Asian hardcourt swing commenced. The former World No. 1 was plagued with injuries before sidelining due to pregnancy. However, her recent form dictated no prevalent physical issues. After sustaining a lower back injury at the China Open, Osaka took to her social media to detail key reasons behind such troubles and how the injury got worse during the showdown.

She wrote, “Hi everyone just wanted to say I’m extremely thankful and happy to have played in Beijing. That being said I feel like I owe a little backstory about today. So I locked my back up during practice earlier and honestly wasn’t sure if I could even play. But, I just wanted to try. Unfortunately, things just got progressively worse during the match. Totally worth it though lol.”

Up next, Osaka will likely take time off to recover from her injury concerns. If everything goes according to plan, the Japanese will return to action before headlining an extensive absence from the sport.