Resurfaced viral clip with Coco Gauff reveals the real Naomi Osaka

Critics of Naomi Osaka would do well to reflect on one of her classiest moments as a viral video resurfaced in the wake of her French Open exit.

A powerful clip showing Naomi Osaka consoling teenage star Coco Gauff in New York has resurfaced after the world No. 2 pulled out of the French Open.

Osaka withdrew from the grand slam after one match, citing mental health reasons, having earlier announced she would boycott press conferences in Paris because facing the media after losing a match was akin to “kicking a person when they’re down”.

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That stance sparked huge debate and tennis fans are speaking up in support of Osaka after she had the courage to go public with her battle with depression.

While some initially accused the four-time grand slam champion of wanting to boycott the press so she could avoid valid criticism about her performances, the resurfaced viral clip of Osaka and Gauff has reaffirmed why the Japanese star is one of the most loved athletes in the world.

She beat Gauff — the teenage star who burst onto the scene as a 15-year-old at Wimbledon two years ago — in the third round of the 2019 US Open, and the American was reduced to tears at Flushing Meadows.

The home crowd was fully behind the young gun though, cheering her on throughout the match and even after her defeat. Osaka wanted Gauff to understand how much support she had, and encouraged her to embrace the crowd’s well-wishes by doing the post-match on-court interview with her.

Gauff: Are you sure? I’m going to cry.

Osaka: No you’re good, you’re amazing. You’re doing the on-court interview.

Gauff: I’m going to cry the whole way through.

Osaka: No, I think it’s better than going into the shower and crying … let people know how you feel.

Osaka has always been a class act.

The video — which went viral at the time with millions of views — was posted again on social media by journalist Alexis Benveniste, who also re-shared the follow-up clip of a tearful Gauff paying tribute to Osaka in the ensuing interview.

“I said no, because I knew I was going to cry the whole time. But she encouraged me to do it,” Gauff said as the appreciative crowd burst into applause.

Asked what it was like to play Osaka, who was world No. 1 at the time, Gauff added: “It was amazing. She did amazing and I’m going to learn a lot from this match.

“She’s been so sweet to me, so thankyou for this. Thankyou.

“Thankyou Naomi. I don’t want people to think I’m trying to take this moment away from her because she really deserves it, so thankyou.”

Osaka then gave Gauff a hug, to more applause from the crowd, before she too broke down when paying tribute to Gauff’s family.

“You guys raised an amazing player. I remember I used to see you guys,” she said before the tears started flowing.

“I remember I used to see you guys training in the same place as us. For me, the fact that both of us made it and we’re both still working as hard as we can is incredible.

“I think you guys are amazing. Coco, you’re amazing.”

Watch this video of Coco Gauff and Naomi Osaka supporting each other during an interview after their US Open match in 2019 https://t.co/etmv7spRXh

— Alexis Benveniste (@apbenven) June 1, 2021

Osaka has come under from some quarters — such as from British TV personality Piers Morgan — for being self-centred in her efforts to avoid dealing with the media before she pulled out of the French Open.

There have also been suggestions the 23-year-old arrogantly dismissed her media commitments because she could easily afford to pay the nearly $20,000 fines that come with skipping press conferences each time — something many of her rivals don’t have the luxury of doing.

But as these clips prove, Osaka is as selfless as they come, and has always been a class act.

Just as Gauff had someone to support her two years ago, Osaka deserves that too now she’s the one struggling.

She is taking some time away from tennis as she focuses on her own wellbeing, and has not put a timeline on her return.

“Here in Paris I was already feeling vulnerable and anxious so I thought it was better to exercise self-care and skip the press conferences,” Osaka wrote in a statement posted to social media. “I announced it pre-emptively because I do feel like the rules are quite outdated in parts and I wanted to highlight that.

“I wrote privately to the tournament apologising and saying that I would be more than happy to speak with them after the tournament as Slams are intense.

“I’m gonna take some time away from the court now, but when the time is right I really want to work with the Tour to discuss ways we can make things better for the players, press and fans.”