On Thursday night, Naomi Osaka celebrated her home nation Japan's surprise victory against soccer powerhouse Spain at the ongoing FIFA World Cup. Osaka rejoiced in the team's victory, applauding their efforts, and even posted a hilarious 'Dragon Ball Z' edit of the Japanese team.
Japan beat Spain 2-1 to top their World Cup group. Both Japan and Spain advanced to the next round at the expense of Germany, the home country of the likes of Alexander Zverev, Angelique Kerber, and Jan-Lennard Struff.
Osaka took to social media to express her excitement at Japan's success.
Osaka had earlier posted about another famous win for Japan at the World Cup, which came against Germany last week. Osaka reacted to Japanese fans' heartwarming gesture of cleaning up the stadium after the match against Germany.
The four-time Grand Slam singles champion ended her 2022 tennis season at the Pan Pacific Open in September as an ongoing injury issue forced her to withdraw before the Round of 16.
Naomi Osaka had a challenging year, to say the least, playing only 23 matches on tour and winning 14 of them. If the current World No. 42 is unable to win the 2023 Australian Open, her title drought on the WTA tour will extend to two years; she has not won a WTA title since the 2021 Australian Open.
Naomi Osaka's compatriot Kei Nishikori joins in the FIFA World Cup celebrations
Fellow Japanese tennis superstar Kei Nishikori joined Naomi Osaka in expressing pride over the Japanese team at the FIFA World Cup. Nishikori reacted to the team's win against Spain, using an emoji of the country's flag in his post on Twitter.
Nishikori has also struggled with injuries of late. He missed the entirety of the 2022 season due to a hip injury sustained before the season started, and was forced to undergo surgery for the same earlier this year. The 32-year-old last played on tour at the 2021 Citi Open in Washington DC.
Meanwhile, Stefanos Tsitsipas also lauded Japan for their World Cup win on Thursday. Highlighting their fighting spirit, Tsitsipas wished the team well for the rest of the tournament.
"Congratulations #JPN You guys are huge fighters with a big heart. Keep putting in the work, keep dreaming big!" Tsitsipas wrote on Twitter.
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