"What do we need to do to remind Naomi Osaka of who she is?" - Fans shocked by Japanese's "very bad" display in Indian Wells exit

Naomi Osaka's campaign at the 2025 BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells turned out to be a short-lived one, with the Japanese being stunned 4-6, 4-6 in the first round by Camila Osorio. Osaka's performance was riddled with unforced errors and she also made some questionable choices throughout the encounter. These developments prompted tennis fans to deliver their reactions to the former No. 1's early exit from the WTA 1000 event she won in 2018.

On Wednesday, March 5, the first day of main draw matches at the 2025 BNP Paribas Open, Osorio put Osaka to the sword. The Colombian was solid with both her serve and return, while the Japanese's struggles were there for all to see. Osaka was repeatedly forced to come to the net, and this paid dividends for Osorio. The victory marked the first time a Colombian defeated a former WTA No. 1.

Several tennis fans on X (formerly Twitter) were critical of Naomi Osaka over the Japanese's subpar display.

"Yall what do we need to do to remind Naomi of who she is? #IndianWells," a fan wrote.

"Osaka showed a very bad level, they changed the game, they brought her to the net and she didn't know what to do. She is not a reliable player," commented another.

"That was way more about Osaka she was shockingly bad," another fan chimed in.

There were others who pointed out the factors that all came together to adversely affect the four-time Major winner's performance against Osorio.

"Osorio played very well and kind of exposed how one dimensional Osaka’s game is. She doesn’t know what to do if she’s brought forward or if she has to play anything outside her strike zone," opined one fan.

"Osaka just looked uninterested in this match once it started. Weird match for Naomi, great win for Osorio," another added.

"Osaka clearly hasn’t touched a racket in months, 40+ unforced errors. Osorio simply kept the ball in play and it was far too much for Osaka to handle," yet another fan weighed in.

Osaka's Indian Wells disappointment marks a concerning dip in the Japanese's level compared to her outings at the ASB Classic and the Australian Open earlier in the ongoing tennis season.

Naomi Osaka's early Indian Wells exit comes on back of promising displays with unfortunate endings at ASB Classic and Australian Open

In Picture: Naomi Osaka (Source: Getty)

At the 2025 ASB Classic in Auckland, Naomi Osaka reached the final, but after winning the first set 6-4 against Clara Tauson, she chose to retire due to an abdominal injury. Later, she expressed her disappointment with the development, saying:

"I want to thank everyone for welcoming me to such a beautiful city. I had a lot of fun playing here. I’m really sorry about how it ended. I hope you enjoyed the tennis that we did play, I’m just really grateful to be here."

Naomi Osaka was back in action at the Australian Open and once again, injury played spoilsport as she retired mid-match during her third-round clash against fellow tennis mom Belinda Bencic. It was a recurrence of the same injury that kept her from winning an eighth WTA Tour-level title and the first since her return to action in the previous season.

The Japanese would be keen on impressing at the Miami Open next after a forgettable first chapter of the Sunshine Double at the 2025 BNP Paribas Open.