"Very disappointing from Naomi Osaka to talk about this woman abuser like this" - Fans slam Japanese over commendation of 'unapologetic' Nick Kyrgios

Naomi Osaka's fans were left disappointed after the Japanese was all praise for Nick Kyrgios amid the Aussie's recent controversies. They also mentioned some of Kyrgios' previous controversial comments involving fellow tennis players like Casper Ruud and Anna Kalinskaya.

In a recent interview with Harper's Bazaar, Osaka expressed her admiration for Kyrgios mentioning that he possessed a 'big heart'. It is worth noting that the Aussie was the first to join Osaka's sports agency Evolve.

“Nick is a dynamic person both on and off the court,” Osaka said. “I am really drawn to people who are unapologetic about who they are and aren’t afraid to show all aspects of themselves. I also think there is a side to Nick few people see, but I can say he has a very big heart and, for him, giving back is really important, and that is a quality I admire about him."

The Japanese previously said that the Aussie was like a brother from another mother to her.

These comments didn't sit well with tennis fans who took to X (formerly Twitter) to express their disappointment with Naomi Osaka. A fan called Nick Kyrgioos an abuser alluding to the Aussie pleading guilty to an assault charge against his ex-girlfriend.

"Very disappointing for Naomi Osaka to talk about this woman abuser like this," a fan said.

Another fan shared an old interaction between Nick Kyrgios and Casper Ruud where the former involved the Norwegian's mother in their fight.

"Nothing disappoints me more than women supporting this man. It's one thing for deranged men to like him cuz they relate to his mysogynistic ass. But women? This is who u are fawning over btw. The man who is unapologetic about dragging the girlfriend/mother to get even with a man," the fan wrote.

Here are some other reactions from tennis fans.

"Also calling Kalinskaya a "second serve" publicly like that. She and Osaka are from the same agency as far as I know. So this looks like a choice rather than a misstep," a fan mentioned.

“'oh but you don’t know him he has a big heart.' Okay so show it then. We have to judge by what we see and he’s always shown himself to be a prick so," a fan said.

"every single time she's given yet another reason distance herself from this weirdo she throws her support behind him even more. just fully throwing herself behind the whitewashing of his public image," a fan opined.

"coming from someone who’s been a huge naomi fan for years, people don’t call her out enough for supporting NK," a fan admitted.

Nick Kyrgios previously got into an argument with fellow tennis player Casper Ruud over behavioral issues

Nick Kyrgios - Source: Getty

When Nick Kyrgios and Casper Ruud faced each other at the 2019 Italian Open, their match came to a controversial end when the Aussie threw a chair on the court in a fit of rage. Following this, the Norwegian said that Kyrgios acted like an 'idiot', to which the 29-year-old responded by lashing out at his opponent,

"Hey @CasperRuud98 next time you have something to say, I would appreciate you say it to my face, I’m sure you wouldn’t run your mouth so much after that. Until then I will continue to rather watch paint dry then watch you play tennis, boring af," he tweeted.

Kyrgios continued his attack in 2021 when he said how the players playing the clay events in Gstaad and Kitzbuhel brought 'zero hype'. He also added a facepalm emoji seemingly reacting to Ruud making it to the semifinals in Gstaad.

"Bro why is there still clay 😂 bringing in absolutely ZERO FANS, ZERO CROWDS. ZERO HYPE. It’s detrimental to the sport. My god. Excluding Gasquet, cuz he playing for just points this is just sad man. No wonder we are going backwards," he said

Moments after Nick Kyrgios' tweets, Casper Ruud hilariously responded to the ATP Tour's post asking people to post their questions for the Aussie.

In a now-deleted tweet, the Aussie said,

"Your mum."

However, he deleted the tweet and changed his response.

It seems that Nick Kyrgios and Casper Ruud have put an end to their feud. The two men had a good time facing each other at the UTS in New York this year. They've locked horns just once since their meeting in Rome in 2019. The two faced off against one another in the third round of the 2022 BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, with the Aussie winning 6-4, 6-4.

Nick Kyrgios has not played competitive tennis since the BOSS Open in Stuttgart, which took place in 2023. The Aussie is set to return to action at the Brisbane International, which will start on December 29. Along with the singles event, Kyrgios will also compete in the doubles tournament, with Novak Djokovic as his partner.

He is currently competing in the World Tennis League in Abu Dhabi as a part of the Kites along with Casper Ruud, Jasmine Paolini and Simona Halep. He did not feature in the team's first match against the Eagles, which they won 25-20.

The Aussie, however, is competing in their second match against the Falcons, partnering Jasmine Paolini, as the duo beat Caroline Garcia and Denis Shapovalov. Nick Kyrgios faced Andrey Rublev and lost 4-6.