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Over a month ago, Naomi Osaka apologized to her fans for a dismal performance at Indian Wells in which she lost in the first round. A performance she referred to as “the worst match I ever played.”.
Yet those fans appear to be less forgiving after Osaka went out in the opener of the Madrid Open against Italy's Lucia Bronzetti (Bronzetti 6-4, Osaka 6-2, Bronzetti 6-4), per ESPN.
During the match, Osaka fell down on match point in the third set, per José Morgado of Record Portugal.
Fans immediately pounced on Osaka all over social media.
One user called for Osaka to fire her team for not giving her the right advice.
“If you’re returning well enough to have break chances, you should be able to break. And you only get better at this by playing more matches. Showing up in big tournaments is not going to cut it. If your team doesn’t tell you this you should fire them @naomiosaka.” @osakalcaraz posted on X.
Another person said they didn't expect her to lose.
“Did I expect Naomi Osaka to lose to Bronzetti? No Did she lose? Yes…..” @sisco_iT posted on X.
Someone else heavily criticized Osaka for a post on April 18 in which she said, “I laugh every time someone calls me mentally weak, lol.”
“Naomi Osaka really tweeted this and then went on to have the most mentally weak game of all time. Can’t make this up. She is so over in her career.” @TradeEverybody posted on X.
Finally, one more user boldly requested that Osaka to stop playing.
“Man Naomi Osaka needs to either stop playing all together or go to 250’s and lesser until she can consistently play at a high level. This is pathetic Bronzetti is trash” @bigseejay2 posted on X.
Even though Osaka won the Miami Open in March, she has been showing signs of struggle, especially on clay.
What is behind Naomi Osaka's difficulties on clay?
Osaka's difficulties playing on clay date all the way back to 2016. From then until 2018, she had a winning percentage of 53.5%, compared to 65% on hard courts.
In 2021, Osaka famously withdrew from the French Open, played on a clay court, after admitting struggles with her mental health.
Since then, her struggles on clay courts continue to materialize. Her first lost of 2024 was on clay against Italy's Martina Trevisan in the first round of the Open Capfinances Rouen Métropole (6-4, 6-2).
The transition from hard courts to clay courts can difficulty, especially considering how playing on clay can slow the pace of play.
Osaka is know for her agility, athleticism, baseline game, and powerful serve.
