Tennis star Naomi Osaka was left ’embarrassed’ after she was alerted that Australian star Nick Kyrgios was in her box to watch her performance at Wimbledon against Talia Gibson
17:56 ET, 30 Jun 2025Updated 17:56 ET, 30 Jun 2025
Naomi Osaka defeated Talia Gibson at Wimbledon, with Nick Kyrgios watching from her box(Image: Photo by Hannah Peters/Getty Images)
Naomi Osaka had a surprise visitor watch her win over Talia Gibson at Wimbledon in her box: Nick Kyrgios.
Wimbledon has been a filled with moments thus far, with Carlos Alcaraz showing his true colors during a medical emergency to Elena-Gabriela Ruse feeling unwell and vomiting during her match against Madison Keys. European football star David Beckham also was on hand to watch the action as fans pondered the expensive food prices at the event.
Among what was happening at Wimbledon was Kyrgios observing Osaka’s play against Gibson. The Japanese star beat the Australian 6-4 7-6(4) on Monday, and later admitted her surprise to have Kyrgios there, calling it a “little embarrassing”.
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“Oh, he was there? I did not hear nothing, OK,” she told reporters after her match with Gibson. “Oh, my God. I jokingly told someone, ‘Hey, I know Nick’s around, maybe he wants to come to my match.’ But I was joking, ’cause I know we’re, like, two completely different players.
“Honestly, I would have loved to come to his matches, because I know he’s pretty fun. Yeah, I think that’s also a big part of why we’re different is ’cause I know he kind of like tells his box what to do, and he probably would have noticed if I was in there. I kind of, like, zone out most of the time.
“That’s a little embarrassing that he was there. I guess it is cool that he was there.” For Kyrgios, the Australian star was forced to pull out of Wimbledon due to persistent injury concerns and was not included in the BBC’s lineup for coverage this year.
Nick Kyrgios was spotted sitting in Naomi Osaka’s box(Image: BBC)
Still, the 30-year-old was in attendance to watch his U.S. Open mixed doubles partner later this year. Of note, Kyrgios is signed to the former No. 1’s management agency, Evolve, with the two having a close relationship as a result.
And Osaka not realizing Kyrgios in her box was indicative of how focused she is to returning to her status as one of the top players in the world. Osaka had a disappointing outing at the French Open last month, falling to Paula Badosa in the first-round.
With her early exit from Roland Garros, Osaka shared that despite the heartbreaking loss, she is taking every moment as an opportunity to evolve in some way, both on and off the court. “I feel like I learn little things from each match,” Osaka said after her loss, per ESPN.
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“I think I lost the tiebreaker in Rome, and I didn’t lose the tiebreaker here. So, I mean, I am conscious of things when I’m playing, so maybe the next match I play I’ll learn little things from today.”
The 27-year-old’s coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, noted that the star has moved on from her Roland Garros exit, which is important as she continues her journey to being considered the best player in women’s tennis.
“This part of the season is so important and you really have to be fully focused,” Mouratoglou said, per ESPN. “If you’re thinking about the tournament before, you’re not really there. But I think she’s really moved on. She’s not thinking about Roland Garros at all.”
He added: “She’s been No. 1 in the world, so to be No. 50 and having to be patient doing everything right, that’s what she feels is difficult. But to be at the top of the game is very difficult, so this is just a [new] difficulty that she needs to accept, but I feel she does.
“I feel maybe she was not in the past month, but now she says to me, ‘It’s going to click, I just have to be patient.’ And she is sure about it now.”
AloJapan.com