Naomi Osaka is warned she just gave her competitors a big lift after what she did following defeat to Paula Badosa

Naomi Osaka suffered a devastating defeat in the first round of the French Open.

The Japanese star had enjoyed a solid clay season in the lead-up to Roland Garros, as Osaka won her first title on the red stuff in Saint-Malo, France.

She also impressed in Rome, reaching the last 16 of the Italian Open, narrowly coming up short against America’s Peyton Stearns.

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With momentum on her side, she couldn’t capitalize in Paris, as Osaka lost to Paula Badosa, 7-6, 1-6, 4-6, in her opening match.

The four-time Grand Slam champion was devastated afterwards, questioning what her coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, would think of the result during her post-match press conference.

Two Australian tennis legends have now shared their thoughts on Osaka’s ‘worrisome’ comments in the aftermath of her latest defeat.

Todd Woodbridge thinks Naomi Osaka’s post-match comments gave her rivals a ‘lift’

Speaking on the Australian Open YouTube channel, former doubles number one Todd Woodbridge said how he thinks Osaka’s rivals will react to her recent comments.

“We in the media spaces want so much, social media, saying we need to express ourselves. She’s a victim of that,” he said.

“In sport, you cannot let your emotions out in a way that your competitors see it. It gives them a lift.”

Woodbridge went on to say what he’d prefer Osaka do, instead of publicly expressing her disappointment as she did.

“Unfortunately for Naomi [Osaka], she’s now gone through the period where she’s indestructible, and now she feels like most other humans. Unsure about herself, she has moved on in life, where more things happen,” he said.

“I kind of feel for her, but it would be my preference for her to talk about them privately. I think it would help her enormously.

“We all feel like we’ve let people down, but the reality is when you chat to someone, you haven’t, everyone is behind you.”

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The Australian then assessed Osaka’s level during her defeat to Badosa and said what she needs to do to return to the top ten and begin contending for titles again.

“I thought she played really well, it was one of the best first round matches,” said Woodbridge.

“She looks fantastic on court, she’s certainly been doing a lot of work physically to get back to shape after having her first child.

“For me, Naomi, stick with it, believe in yourself that you’re doing the right thing.

“It looked to me that she was going to win that match. If she can start to get through those matches, she’s going to be top ten, she’s going to contend. 

“But you have to let the expectations go and just enjoy this journey a little more than perhaps she is.”

2011 US Open champion Sam Stosur weighed in with her thoughts on the ‘troubling comments’ made by Osaka in Paris.

“Playing [Paula] Badosa in the first round is no easy task, but obviously she expects a lot of herself, she is a Grand Slam champion, number one in the world, so she’ll still expect to win that,” she said.

“It is a troubling comment when you’re thinking about letting your coach down or people around you down. Some personalities would take those feelings on board more than others.

“To be as candid as she was in the press about all that was a little bit worrisome, that’s what she’s thinking about while she‘s out there, or straight afterward. How does that, how do you get over that, how does that change?

“I think there’s a bit of work that needs to be done off the court to be the person and the player that she is.”

When will Naomi Osaka return to WTA Tour action?

Osaka will now rest up ahead of the grass-court season, where she is scheduled to appear in a brand-new event.

Earlier this year, Osaka was awarded a Wild Card to Queen’s, an event which will join the WTA calendar in 2025.

The tournament has been a staple on the ATP calendar for almost 150 years, but haven’t hosted a women’s event since the 1970s.

Russia’s Olga Morozova is the most recent women’s champion at Queen’s, beating Evonne Goolagong in the final of the 1973 tournament.

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Osaka would no doubt love to win the first women’s tournament at Queen’s in over 50 years and take home her maiden grass-court title in the process.

The 2025 Queen’s Club Championships are scheduled to begin on June 9 in London, England.