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Miami Open: Naomi Osaka Wins Over Martina Navratilova With Her Priceless Gesture to Superfan

Published 03/21/2024, 12:41 AM EDT

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This season, Naomi Osaka is back on the WTA tour, and she is already winning the hearts of many with her on- and off-court gestures. After winning her opening-round match at the Miami Open, the Japanese tennis star decided to meet her fans while also pulling off a heartfelt act. Taking note of the same, Martina Navratilova recently came forward to drop her ‘sweet’ reaction on social media.

Osaka recently brushed aside her Italian opponent, Elisabetta Cocciaretto, in straight sets, 6-3, 6-4, in the round of 128. Following her spectacular performance in the opener, the WTA superstar’s availability for fans was also quite evident in Miami Gardens.

The official Twitter page of the WTA Tour recently shared a video clip of the 4-time singles Grand Slam champion hugging her superfan, who was sighted holding a Naomi Osaka Barbie doll. The social media post stated, “Meeting your i̶d̶o̶l̶ Barbie. Priceless 💜@naomiosaka| #MiamiOpen.” While retweeting the post, the Hall of Famer, Martina Navratilova added the caption, “Sweeeeeet!”

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As she met her fans in the stands, Osaka also signed her wristband and gave it to the kid. While many popular figures sometimes refuse to sign autographs and click pictures, the Japanese player stands apart. This is not the first time that Osaka has pulled off such a class act after her brilliant on-court performance.

Even during the 2019 US Open, the WTA superstar earned the praise of many in the tennis community after she exemplified sportsmanship by asking Coco Gauff to join her for an interview.

Naomi Osaka’s class act after her victory against Coco Gauff

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Back in 2019, the American tennis star, who was only 15 years old, became the youngest woman to reach the US Open third round since 1996. However, Gauff was overwhelmed with emotions after she failed to overcome Osaka at their third-round meeting in New York. As Gauff burst into tears, the Japanese player encouraged the tennis prodigy to join her for the post-match interview.

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After joining Osaka in the courtside interview, Gauff said, “She told me, I did amazing, and then she asked if I can do an on-court interview with her, and I said, no because I know I’m gonna cry the whole time, but she encouraged me to do it.” The American player also said, “She has been very sweet to me, so thank you,” before they shared a warm hug on the court.

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Written by:

Anurag Gusain

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Anurag Gusain is a Tennis Writer at EssentiallySports, who blends his innate talent for journalism with a solid foundation in English, earned during his undergraduate years. With more than two years of content creation under his belt, Anurag seamlessly translates his passion for tennis into captivating articles. At ES, he is the go-to voice for all things Serena Williams, skillfully covering both her on-court legacy and off-court endeavors.
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Edited by:

Shudh Mukherjee