“You have to be really mentally strong to play tennis,” said four-time major winner Naomi Osaka in her 2021 Netflix docuseries. And the 27-year-old still perfectly embodies this spirit. Despite going through a tough phase lately. While she may have witnessed a poor on-court run in 2025, due to constant injury obstacles, the Japanese star hasn’t stopped believing in herself to bounce back. And when she succeeds, the former World No.1 makes sure to give a fitting reply to all doubting her on social media. Take, for example, her stellar comeback to form this week at the WTA 125 Saint-Malo, where Osaka is on the verge of winning her first title in four years. And guess what? She took it as the perfect opportunity to dish out a sassy yet strong response to those who have no job but to “s***” about her.

Osaka looked in great touch earlier this season when she reached the summit clash of the ASB Classic. However, her struggles with the abdominal injury resurfaced to haunt her. She was forced to pull out of the final against Clara Tauson. Then at the Australian Open, too, she managed to reach the third round. Sadly, she backed out due to the abdominal strain. The recovery took its time, and she returned after a month at the Indian Wells, but the comeback was short-lived. Colombia’s Camila Osorio edged her out in straights in the first round.

The same was the fate in Miami, where she crashed out of the R16, and then Madrid, where Lucia Bronzetti ousted her in the first round. Witnessing such back-to-back outcomes can affect anyone’s mental stability. And it’s quite natural in sports. But Osaka appears to be built differently. Lately, she’s stopped caring too much about setbacks. It became evident from her IG post last month. She wrote, “I lowkey have short-term memory loss so I don’t stay discouraged for long- we woke up this morning, we’re blessed, we’re healthy and we’re happy- wthelly.”

And guess what? Osaka has echoed this sentiment once again. But with a perfect response to those who keep questioning her skills as a player. After impressing with her form in Saint-Malo, where she’s reached the final, the Japanese took to her X and wrote, “This is for everyone that constantly has s*** to say lol”. But you might be wondering: what exactly did she share?

Well, the four-time slam queen literally dropped an image of a job application. Context? In a way, she wanted her naysayers to ‘get a job’ and do something meaningful in life rather than wasting time. Isn’t it simply hilarious and fitting at the same time?

Osaka opted to participate in Saint-Malo despite it being a lower-ranked event. She wanted to stay active on the court as much as possible in order to get back to consistency. Her coach emphasized it heavily in a recent media interaction. “We decided to play a smaller tournament this week, we are in Saint-Malo in France,” said Patrick Mouratoglou (former coach of 23-time slam queen Serena Williams), as reported by Tennis Channel on May 2.

He added, “She really needs to play matches. For the last six to eight months, she has been injured a lot, so unfortunately, she hasn’t been able to play enough.” Mouratoglou continued, “We feel it’s the thing that she needs the most now. We had three weeks of intensive practice on clay, so she is ready to play.”

Plus, Osaka also had this determination in her mind to make a solid comeback – no matter what. Her strong message on social media last month was enough to reflect on her focused approach.

Naomi Osaka is done with her “crashout” as she sits on the verge of her first WTA title in four years

After her Madrid Open loss, Naomi Osaka didn’t let the disappointment affect her will to improve. Looking on the brighter side, despite losing the R128 match against Italy’s Lucia Bronzetti, the Japanese star wasn’t feeling low. Instead, she chose to look forward and get better. Giving fans a glimpse into her headspace, Osaka shared some motivational lines on her Threads account.

The first one read, “I wouldn’t wish what goes on in my brain to my worst enemy,” followed by: “Trust the process but the process isn’t trusting me wtf.” A day later, she dropped another positive-spirited post and informed, “Ok I’m done with my crashout,” and that she refuses “to be sad I rebuke it”. 

When she entered the WTA 125 event in Saint-Malo, Osaka began her campaign with a straight-set win over Croatian Petra Marčinko. Afterwards, she bested Frenchwoman Diane Parry before taking down another French player, Elsa Jacquemot, in the quarterfinal stage. In the last four battles, she met one more French WTA pro, Leolia Jeanjean. While she had to work hard across three sets, Osaka eventually made her way into the final with a score line of 2, 4-6, 6-0.

On Sunday, she takes on Slovenia’s Kaja Juvan. Osaka will look to win her first-ever clay-court event. If she succeeds, it will also mark her first singles title win in any tournament after four years. Back in 2021, she won the Australian Open after defeating American Jennifer Brady with a score line of 6-4, 6-3. Since then, the World No. 55 hasn’t been able to emerge victorious. Do you think she can make a strong comeback statement with a title triumph in Saint-Malo ahead of a major clay season in Paris? Let us know in the comments below.