"Rihanna bowl really didn’t disappoint" - Naomi Osaka watches Super Bowl 2023 live, suggests she attended only for Rihanna

The 2023 Super Bowl had a special guest from the tennis world in the stands as Naomi Osaka attended the big game. While the likes of Patrick Mahomes, Jalen Hurts, and Haason Reddick, among many other Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles stars, were in action in the biggest NFL game of the year, Osaka was only excited about superstar Rihanna's performance during the half-time show.

Rihanna's Super Bowl performance marked her first live performance in years and there was no shortage of excitement or anticipation for the same. Naomi Osaka, who is currently on a break from the WTA tour as she is expecting her first child, simply could not miss the Super Bowl spectacle.

The Japanese star took to social media to reveal that she was at the State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, for the 2023 Super Bowl, while quite honestly suggesting that she was there only to catch Rihanna perform live.

"I'm only here for one reason lol," Naomi Osaka wrote on her Instagram stories.

Naomi Osaka reacts to attending the 2023 Super Bowl (via Instagram).

Further expressing her love for Rihanna, the 4-time Grand Slam champion went on to call the event itself the 'Rihanna Bowl.' Osaka thoroughly enjoyed the Barbadian music superstar's performance.

"Hits after hits, Rihanna bowl really didn’t disappoint," Osaka wrote on Twitter.

Rihanna's comeback drew great excitement from the tennis world in particular, with the likes of Coco Gauff, Serena Williams, and Caroline Wozniacki all expressing their excitement for the same ahead of and during the 2023 Super Bowl.

Meanwhile, Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs won the 2023 Super Bowl, beating the Philadelphia Eagles 38-35.

---

When Naomi Osaka desperately hoped to meet Rihanna at the Met Gala

Naomi Osaka is currently on a long break from the tour.

There was a lot for Naomi Osaka to be excited about at the 2021 Met Gala as she was one of the co-chairs alongside singer Billie Eilish, actor Timothee Chalamet, and poet-activist Amanda Gorman, while her outfit was also among the most striking ones at the biggest fashion event of the year. However, what Osaka seemed to want more than anything was to run into Rihanna, showing how big a fan she has been of the superstar performer.

"If I see Rihanna ima pass out," Osaka wrote on Twitter, ahead of her 2021 Met Gala appearance.

She even shared images of Rihanna in her Instagram post, reacting to the announcement of her being one of the co-chairs for the 2021 Met Gala.

Ahead of the 2023 Australian Open, Osaka announced her withdrawal from the tournament and effectively the rest of the season, as she revealed that she is expecting her first child later this year. However, Osaka vowed to make a comeback to the tour at the 2024 Australian Open.