"Watch your tone" "Why so mean spirited?" - Fans defend Naomi Osaka from criticism over 'lucky' win over Lucia Bronzetti in French Open 1R

Tennis fans recently came to Naomi Osaka's defense following criticism of her win over Italian Lucia Bronzetti in the first round at the 2024 French Open. This marked Osaka's first win at Roland Garros since 2021.

Osaka had used her protected ranking to secure a spot in the main draw of the French Open. She defeated Bronzetti 6-1, 4-6, 7-5 to secure her place in the second round where she will go up against the top seed Iga Swiatek or qualifier Leolia Jeanjean.

During the third set in her opening match, Osaka was initially leading 4-0 seemingly on the path to an easy win. However, Bronzetti staged an impressive comeback, winning five consecutive games to take a 5-4 lead. Despite the setback, Osaka rallied back to win the final three games to secure the set and ultimately the match

Following Naomi Osaka's win, a social media account of a podcast, called "The Tennis Podcast," hosted by three tennis journalists, made controversial remarks suggesting that Osaka's victory was merely a stroke of luck, undermining her playing skills on the court.

This remark sparked outrage among tennis fans, who took to social media to express their disappointment and frustration and defended the former World No.1

One fan criticized the podcast for its disrespectful "tone" while another questioned the motives behind such negative remarks and being "mean-spirited."

"Watch your tone," the fan posted.

"TTP has become really unlikeable. Why so mean spirited all the time?" a fan posted.

"Fair, but why do you hate her so specifically? Many players get lucky all the time..." a fan wrote.

Many fans refuted claims of Osaka being "fortunate" and asserted that her victory was well-deserved while some even suggested that it was Bronzetti who had been "fortunate" in the match.

"Nah it's Bronzetti who was very fortunate in the first place that [Naomi] Osaka was not even near her best. And no one strikes fear in Iga at the moment, this is not exclusive to Naomi," a fan posted.

"[Naomi] Osaka made hard work of what should've been a routine victory. When Osaka cut the errors out and played well, she was clearly on a different level to the pedestrian Bronzetti," a fan wrote.

Another speculated that the podcast may have intentionally provoked negative reactions to generate traction and to gain popularity.

"Being negative to milk comments and attention. Have some shame and get a life," a fan posted.

"Yall are a bunch of hating as* b**ches and not even in the respectable way. Stale as* podcast," a fan wrote.

Naomi Osaka will potentially face Iga Swiatek in the second round of French Open 2024

Naomi Osaka and Iga Swiatek at the 2022 Miami Open

Naomi Osaka may potentially face two-time defending champion Iga Swiatek in the second round of the 2024 French Open.

Swiatek is set to kick off her campaign at Roland Garros against qualifier Leolia Jeanjean. If she emerges victorious in this match, she will then go head-to-head with Osaka in the following round.

Naomi Osaka and Iga Swiatek have previously met twice on the WTA Tour, with both players winning one match each. Their first encounter took place at the 2019 Canadian Open, where the Japanese emerged victorious with a score of 7-6(4), 6-4.

They then faced off in the final of the 2022 Miami Open, where the World No.1 claimed a dominant victory with a score of 6-4, 6-0.