Four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka has delivered an iconic comeback to an internet troll who called her a ‘fluke’ on social media.
Female tennis players on the WTA Tour are subjected to all kinds of criticism from fans, journalists and pundits but Osaka, 26, has decided that enough is enough.
The Japanese star, a former world No.1 who won two Australian Open titles and two US Open trophies, has singled out one particular troll who targeted her.
‘I just saw someone call me a fluke,’ Osaka posted on her official Threads account.
‘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.’
Osaka had a spell away from professional tennis in 2023 due to pregnancy and child birth, making her return at this year’s Brisbane International.
She was last in action at the China Open, winning three matches, before she was forced to retire during her last-16 clash against Coco Gauff due to injury.
Osaka is currently ranked world No.73 and has reached two quarter-finals on the WTA Tour since her comeback from pregnancy and subsequent childbirth.
Regarded as one of the most marketable athletes on the planet, Osaka is known to pull in a huge annual salary due to her various sponsorship deals.
She was named on Time magazine’s annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2019, 2020 and 2021.
Osaka caught attention at this year’s US Open with a unique outfit that included a massive green bow on her back.
The US Open’s official X account dubbed Osaka the ‘Queen of Fashion’ while one tennis fan posted on social media that the Japanese star looked like Tinker Bell.