Naomi Osaka playfully bemoans missing out on French Open fun with hilarious Squidward meme after 2R loss to Iga Swiatek

Naomi Osaka showcased her sense of humor after a tough loss at the 2024 French Open. The Japanese star posted a hilarious meme featuring Squidward from the popular cartoon 'Spongebob Squarepants,' to express how she felt watching the rest of the tournament from home.

Osaka, who returned to the clay-court Major for the first time since 2022 after a maternity break, was knocked out in the second round by the top seed and defending champion Iga Swiatek in a thrilling three-setter.

The match lasted around three hours on court Philippe-Chartier, with Swiatek coming back from 2-5 down in the final set to win 7-6(1), 1-6, 7-5. The Japanese has struggled on clay and has never gone past the third round at the French Open.

Following her defeat, Osaka decided to lighten up the mood and share a funny meme with her fans on her X (formerly Twitter) account on Saturday, June 1. The meme showed Squidward, the grumpy and cynical neighbor of Spongebob and Patrick, looking out his window and seeing the two friends having fun outside.

The meme, which originated from the animated television show 'Spongebob Squarepants' episode titled "That Sinking Feeling", is often used online to convey a feeling of envy or exclusion when seeing others enjoy themselves (via Knowyourmeme.com).

"How it feels to watch everyone at Roland Garros rn," Osaka captioned the meme.

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Naomi Osaka revealed that she "cried" after losing French Open 2R match to Iga Swiatek

Iga Swiatek and Naomi Osaka at the 2024 French Open

Osaka confessed that she shed tears after her French Open exit to Iga Swiatek.

Osaka expressed her contentment with having the opportunity to challenge the top-ranked player in the world, even though she lost the match. The Japanese said that she felt comforted by the thought that playing against Swiatek was something she had dreamed of while expecting her baby.

"I cried when I got off the court but then I kind of realized like I was watching Iga like win this tournament last year and I was pregnant and it was just my dream to like be able to play her. So when I think of it like that I think I'm doing pretty well," Naomi Osaka said.

The 26-year-old explained that her weakness on clay was the reason for her defeat to Swiatek. She added that she hoped to meet the Polish player again at the US Open, a hard-court Major, later this year.

“I’m also just trying not to be too hard on myself. I feel like I played her on her better surface. I’m a hard-court kid, so I would love to play her on my surface and see what happens. I also said in Australia that I’m kind of setting myself up for September anyway,” she added.

Naomi Osaka, who is currently ranked 134th in the world, will now turn her attention to the grass-court season, which includes the prestigious Wimbledon Championships. She will also be looking forward to representing Japan at the Paris Olympics.