Naomi Osaka has taken to social media to respond to someone calling her a ‘fluke’.
The Japanese player was last seen retiring from the fourth round of the China Open due to a back problem which forced her to withdraw two games into her clash with Coco Gauff
.
Osaka won the opening set before Gauff levelled with a 6-4 success in the second set, but the final set lasted just two games before the 26-year-old uneasily hobbled off of the court, with Gauff helping by carrying her bag back to the locker room.
Osaka returned to competitive tennis in January following the birth of her daughter Shai last year. The former world No.1 has hopes of rising back up the rankings – after slipping down to world No. 73 whilst sidelined.
Osaka remains determined to bounce back to form once she has recovered from her back injury, and she was not willing to entertain any criticism on social media whilst travelling back from China.
She wrote on Threads: “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?
Osaka’s comments come after her new coach Patrick Mouratoglou praised her efforts during their first tournament together, despite the trip to Beijing ending on a sour note due to a back injury.
