As the Australian Open continues this month, fans will be cheering for their favorite players at the tournament. Spectators are an important part of the game, and tennis players such as Roger Federer go out of their way to appreciate them, signing autographs and taking pictures when they can. Naomi Osaka took a unique approach to show her appreciation towards a fan after her most recent victory in Australia.
Naomi Osaka thanks fan for the support
Osaka won her second-round match against Zheng Saisai 6-4 6-2 at the Margret Court Arena. In the post-match interview, she surprised many by thanking a fan named Mark for attending the match. She admitted that she had followed his posts on Twitter, which was how she had known that he would attend the match. “I know there’s a person in the ninth row named Marcus because I stalk your twitter. I see your tweets, so shout out and thanks for coming.” Osaka’s good gesture will probably win her some new fans who will hope to get the same special treatment. Mark is a super fan and runs an Instagram page named “Naomi Osaka fans.” He also occasionally tags the 22-year-old when he tweets on Twitter, mostly sending encouraging messages to the tennis superstar.
Yikes 💀🤣❤️❤️ @naomiosaka #AusOpen pic.twitter.com/DqpMIqgNPo
— ᴍᴀʀᴄᴜꜱ 🇵🇸 (@osakasherif) January 22, 2020
Naomi Osaka active on social media
It seems that the Japanese has embraced her fan base and monitors their comments on social media. However, some fans can also be difficult to deal with. The world No. 4 recently received some backlash after posting a photo of herself with Serena Williams and jokingly tagging Serena as her mom. Some social media users interpreted the tag as a dig at Serena’s age. They accused Naomi of calling the 23-time Grand Slam champion old. Osaka defended herself, saying that people were overreacting to her use of the word ‘mom’. Serena also came to her defense, saying she wouldn’t mind Osaka being her daughter’s elder sister.
Both players are among the favorites to win the Australian Open this month. Osaka is the defending champion. She defeated Petra Kvitova in the final last season. The Japanese star will face Coco Gauff in the third round. This will be their second meeting after Osaka defeated the American teenager at the US Open last September. Serena is also through to the third round and will face Wang Qiang on Friday. She is the favorite to win the title after her victory at the Auckland Open earlier this month.
Osaka at the Australian Open, ranking, and results in 2020
Ranked no.4, the Japanese has a 5-1 win-loss record in 2020. The Japanese is now having a run at the Australian Open where she ousted Marie Bouzkova 6-2 6-4 and Saisai Zheng 6-2 6-4.
Naomi Osaka will play Gauff in the 3rd round. The head to head is 1-0 for Osaka.
The last time that they squared off, Osaka won 6-3 6-0 in the 3rd round in New York (U.S. Open) in August 2019.
Osaka won 5 titles in her career: all of them conquered on hard courts. (See the list of her titles)
Naomi Osaka |
| Embed from Getty Images |
