"For 15 minutes, I was struggling" - Naomi Osaka sends thankful message to 'kind' fans who won her adorable plushie at Tokyo arcade

As Naomi Osaka continues her recovery from injury, she recently took some time off to have fun around Tokyo. She expressed gratitude to kind fans who helped her win a Pokémon-inspired plushie at an arcade after she struggled for 15 minutes before they came to her aid.

Osaka returned to the WTA tour this season following a 15-month hiatus due to the birth of her daughter, Shai. The Japanese star has made significant progress since her return, climbing from a ranking of No. 833 to her current position at No. 56.

On Monday, she posted a picture of herself holding a purple and yellow Pokémon-inspired plushie, with a caption narrating her challenging experience at the arcade and thanking the fans who helped her win.

“I just want to say thank you to the really kind guys that won this for me. They saw me trying for a good 15min prior lol. I was struggling,” she said.

Osaka sends thankful message to 'kind' fans who won her adorable plushie at Tokyo arcade

This season, Osaka has a win-loss record of 22-17, with her best performance coming at the Qatar Open, where she reached the quarterfinals before losing to Karolína Plíšková. In Grand Slam events, she had a first-round exit at the Australian Open, reached the second round at the French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open.

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Naomi Osaka will miss the remainder of the 2024 season due to injuries

Naomi Osaka will miss the remainder of the 2024 season - Source: Getty

Naomi Osaka will miss the Billie Jean King Cup and the remainder of the 2024 season due to an injury sustained during her match against Coco Gauff at the 2024 China Open, where she had previously defeated Lucia Bronzetti, Yulia Putintseva, and Katie Volynets. Speaking to the press in Tokyo, Osaka said that the tournaments she has competed in since her return have significantly contributed to her development as a player.

“I've played so many tournaments this year, so it was definitely the toughest decision to not play this and obviously not play BJK, I really honestly enjoyed it so much, and I think it helped with my development as a player,” Osaka said.

She added that she took another MRI scan and discovered she had more tears.

“I thought I strained my back, but I did an MRI in Beijing, and they said that I bulged a disc in my back and I also raptured abdominal muscles. I was practising in Los Angeles in order to play here, but then I took another MRI and it said that I still have tears,” she added.

Naomi Osaka has a new coaching team following the departure of Wim Fissette. She is now partnered with Patrick Mouratoglou, the former coach of Serena Williams, who has guided players to 36 Grand Slam singles titles.