Naomi Osaka’s Hilarious Outburst Amidst Her Opponent’s Quirky Behavior Makes Fans Go Frenzy at the China Open

Things got a little spicy on the tennis courts recently! The usual intensity of a match took a fun twist during Naomi Osaka‘s second-round clash with Yulia Putintseva at the China Open. The reason? Her reaction to Putintseva’s playful antics. And the fans cannot help but be entertained as Osaka, usually known for her calmness, couldn’t hold back her laughter and surprise at her opponent’s cheeky behavior.

Osaka and Putintseva engaged in a thrilling encounter at the China Open. While the Kazhak player started the match with a dominant first-set victory, she was seen distracted and struggled to keep her form intact in the match. She eventually lost the match 6-3, 4-6, 2-6 against the Japanese player. But what caught the attention of the fans was the reaction that followed from Osaka to Putintseva’s gestures during the match. 

Putintseva was visibly frustrated through her match against Osaka. She looked irritated during her interactions with the ball kids, and in fact, stopped her opponent from serving on several occasions due to the crowd behind the Japanese player. She also engaged in an argument with the chair umpire. All these incidents amalgamated and forced out laughter from Osaka in the match. The fans, meanwhile, were quick to observe this.

Taking to Reddit, one user shared a video of Osaka trying to control her laugh but she failed to do so. Captioning the post, the user wrote, “More of Naomi laughing at Putintseva’s ridiculous on-court behavior lol.”

While Osaka was quick to get her composure and focus back, the fans did not fail to share humorous responses. 

‘So cute’ – Naomi Osaka’s reaction draws hilarious response from fans

One user wrote, “Naomi looks so much more relaxed now! Perhaps having a baby made her realize that her life is worth more than just her tennis career.” Naomi Osaka gave birth to her daughter Shai in July 2023 and took a long hiatus from the courts due to her pregnancy and post-partum challenges. While she returned to the courts this year, she could not establish herself as the dominant force that she once was. However, her latest reaction makes the fans believe that she is looking better than before. Interestingly, Osaka herself resonated with similar sentiments. 

Speaking at the Canadian Open ahead of her match against Ons Jabeur, Osaka highlighted how her daughter helps her stay happy. “I would say when I was younger I defined success by winning tournaments, winning matches,” Osaka said. She revealed that she was devastated after her first-round exit at the Paris Olympics but her daughter helped her immensely when she returned home. “I went back home and I saw my daughter and I don’t know she’s just happy to be alive. She’s happy that I’m her mom for some reason and it just gave me a lot I guess motivation.” More similar reaction followed from fans. 

Responding to the post, one user wrote, “Naomi showed that the way to beat poots is to laugh at her like she’s a boggart.” Interestingly, Putintseva handed some shocking defeats to the top 10 players this season. She outshined World No. 1 Iga Swiatek in the third round of Wimbledon and handed a baffling defeat to Coco Gauff at the Cincinnati Masters. A major reason behind her success was attributed to her concentration levels during the match. However, fans believe that by laughing off at her quirky behavior, Osaka was able to frustrate her more and eventually defeated the Kazhak star.

Another user joined the fray. “Lol she’s so cute,” the user wrote about Osaka’s reactions. The Japanese star is used to getting such compliments, and even more so due to her demeanor and fashion sense on the court. She received similar praise during the US Open for her unique outfit that featured a white shirt and green skirt and a huge green bow. Even experts like Chris Evert praised her and said, “I like the dress… it suits her, it suits the Japanese culture.”

One more user responded to the post and raised questions about Putintseva’s reactions. “Why is Putintseva like this?” the user wrote. Remember, playing against Jasmine Paolini in the US Open, the player received immense flak for her behavior on the court? In the videos shared on social media, Putintseva was seen waiting for a ball girl to throw her new balls. However, when the ball girl threw them in her direction, she let two of them bounce off her body before finally catching the third. This also left the ball girl bewildered, who was seen standing clueless. The entire episode drew sharp criticism from the tennis community and eventually forced Putintseva to apologize. 

Yet another user simply complimented Osaka and wrote, “Naomi has such a beautiful smile.” The star player is gearing up to Katie Volynets in the next round. As the tournament unfolds, it would be interesting to see if more such incidents take place at the Asian swing.