Naomi Osaka lashes out at troll after being called a 'fluke'
Naomi Osaka responded furiously after being labeled a "fluke" by an online troll. The Japanese tennis star defended herself by listing her career achievements and emphasized that the troll wouldn't even come close to reaching any of those milestones, stating they couldn't touch them with their "fingernail."
Osaka has previously spoken about her mental health struggles and how social media affects her. Since returning from maternity leave, Osaka has faced a tough time as she has not been able to win more than three matches on the trot.
Osaka informed her followers on Threads that she was called a "fluke" by a troll. She lashed out at the troll in a lengthy message and also uploaded it on her Instagram Story. 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 top 50 the year after giving birth? Foh, you couldn't even touch one of my accomplishments with your fingernail."
She captioned the Story:
"did I lieeee???"
In her next Story, the four-time Grand Slam champion backed her previous caption with a video of American rapper Nicki Minaj asking "Did I lie?"
“I definitely got very scared” - Naomi Osaka opened up about her struggles with mental health and social media
During a discussion about mental health in sports at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center at the 2023 US Open, Naomi Osaka opened up about her struggles with social media. Osaka was part of a panel that included Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps, U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, and Dr. Brian Hainline.
The Japanese player shared (via NextShark):
“Somewhere along the line, I definitely got very scared of social media.”
Osaka reflected on her mixed feelings about social media. While she admitted to not fully understanding its complexities, she acknowledged its role in uplifting others and sharing her life.
“I felt like there was too much I didn’t know about it… But then I think of the times that I do use social media. It’s to cheer people up, or to show people what I’m up to, and to look at Beyonce’s outfits or something," Naomi Osaka said.
"I also try not to look at comments, and it makes me sad because before people knew who I was, there’s [sic] people giving me positive messages… So it’s a little sad, I feel, to miss out on that.”
Osaka previously spoke about struggling with mental health issues in 2022. In 2023, she took a prolonged hiatus from tennis following her pregnancy. She returned this year ranked outside the WTA top-800. Osaka is now ranked World No. 73 following her fourth-round exit at the China Open.
The 26-year-old retired before the third set in her encounter against Coco Gauff in Beijing citing injury. She has entered the qualifying draw in Wuhan but it remains to be seen if the Japanese player can compete.