Naomi Osaka is off to a flying start at Wimbledon. While her performance on grass wasn’t going well recently, with early round exits in Berlin and then Bad Homburg, the four-time slam queen has regained her form. Just in time. She beat Australia’s Talia Gibson on Monday in the first round at the All England Club. While she was extremely happy with the result, one unexpected news left her surprised. Turns out, her upcoming partner at the US Open mixed doubles event was present at Court No.18.

After she ousted Gibson with a score line of 6-4, 7-6(4), Osaka was informed, in the post-match conference, that Nick Kyrgios was watching her match. He was sitting in her player’s box. As it turns out, there’s a little story behind his visit. During the interview, Osaka revealed, “I jokingly told someone, ‘Hey, I know Nick’s around. Maybe he wants to come to my match.’ But I was joking. Because I know we’re like 2 completely different players.”

She added, “Honestly I would’ve loved to come to his matches because I know he’s pretty fun. I think that’s also a big part of why we’re different. I know he kind of tells his box what to do and he probably would’ve noticed if I was in there, and I kind of like zone out most of the time. That’s a little embarrassing that he was there. But yeah, I guess it was cool that he was there.” Moreover, she also ended up sharing few words of wisdom and ‘inspiration’ for Kyrgios to take from her. “I am glad he came to my match. I hope in some way maybe he felt.. I wouldn’t be bold enough to say ‘inspired,’ but I hope he can relate a little bit to the things I do, too.” 

While there’s still time for their team-up at the US Open, Osaka’s full focus right now is on the 2025 Wimbledon at the All England Club. While she’s won two Australian Open and two US Open trophies, the Ladies singles title is something she’s yet to capture in London. Her struggles on grass have restricted her from accomplishing this objective. But why? Well, there’s a reason the Japanese star’s still not being able to find her rhythm on the green surface.

Naomi Osaka’s weird love-hate relationship with grass

Time and again, Naomi Osaka has expressed her challenges while playing on grass courts. Back in 2019, on the Wimbledon media day, she admitted, “If you ask me right now, I would say for me grass is the hardest surface to learn because I’ve played on clay, despite the fact that it was green clay when I was little.”

Moreover, she revealed that she hardly had the grass experience until she turned 16 or 17. “Every day I learn something while I play here. You only technically play on grass for three weeks out of the year, opposed to the clay season. I just feel like my brain has to work way harder every day than the clay season,” reported WTA’s website in June 2019.

Osaka made her Wimbledon debut back in 2017. However, she couldn’t move past the third round. The next appearance in 2018 also turned out to be similar. In 2019, she couldn’t even clear the first round. And last year, America’s Emma Navarro edged her out in straight sets (6-4, 6-1) in the second round. On her defeat, she later said, “I don’t think it was the greatest from my end,” reported CNN in July 2024. “I feel like even though in the beginning it was kind of like we were trading games, I don’t know why, I didn’t feel fully confident in myself. I didn’t feel like I was playing that well.”

After getting confidence in the ongoing edition’s first round, Osaka will feel motivated going forward. Currently, it’s not confirmed who her second round opponent will be at the Wimbledon. What are your thoughts on her prospects this time? Let us know in the comments below.