‘I Wish I Could Give Her a Hug’ – When Serena Williams Extended a Hand to a Struggling Naomi Osaka

One of the top modern-day players, Naomi Osaka, is not in the greatest of form recently. The 24-year-old has struggled since her return from a long break that she took because of her mental health and anxiety issues. It all started in 2021 when Osaka pulled out of the French Open.

She won her first-round match in straight sets before leaving the tournament midway. While the organizers were furious about the sudden move, American tennis star Serena Williams threw her support behind the young Japanese.

Serena Williams backs Naomi Osaka

Speaking about Osaka at a press conference, Serena Williams backed the 24-year-old. The American also showed her concern for Osaka.

“I feel for Naomi. I feel like I wish I could give her a hug. Because I know how it’s like. Like I have said, I have been in those positions,” she said.

Further, the former world number one gave her opinion on her move to take a break.

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“We have different personalities, and people are different. Not everyone is the same. I am thick, other people are thin, so everyone is different. Everyone handles things differently. You just have to let her handle it the way she wants to in the best way she thinks she can, and that’s the only thing I can say. I think she is doing the best that she can,” she added.

Another injury scare for Osaka

Troubles for

Naomi Osaka don’t seem to stop soon. The Japanese retired mid-way in her first-round match of the Canadian Open. Osaka struggled in the match and lost the first set. She received some on-court treatment but could not continue. This will likely be a huge setback for her preparations for the US Open.

Mar 12, 2022; Indian Wells, CA, USA; Naomi Osaka (JPN) wipes her face as she talks to referee Claire Wood after a spectator disrupted play, yelling “Naomi you suck,” before the start of her 2nd round match against Veronika Kudermetova (RUS) at the BNP Paribas open at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY SportsEarlier, the former world number 1 pulled out of Wimbledon because of an Achilles injury. She made a comeback in the Citi Open and won her first match, but could not go past Coco Gauff in the second round.

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For now, there’s no further update on her injury. With not much time left for the last Grand Slam of the year, it will be interesting to see if she can get the required fitness on time.