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Naomi Osaka's shocking tactic at French Open after calling medical time out sparks buzz; ‘Fashion first I guess’
Naomi Osaka's medical time out at the French Open included trimming her nails after a tight first set win over Paula Badosa.
Naomi Osaka enjoyed the lead when she abruptly took a medical time break at the French Open. In a much awaited first-round encounter in Paris, the four-time Major champion lined up against Paula Badosa, the 10th seed.
In an odd beginning to her allotted medical time off, Osaka contacted the physiotherapist and began trimming her nails after defeating Badosa in a close opening set via tie-break.
The Japanese star arrived at the court wearing a cute pink outfit with a sakura theme, which included flower hair clips and a frilly skirt.
Osaka's nails were painted with matching cherry blossom art, demonstrating her attention to even the slightest details. However, the legend had to sacrifice her nails after winning a set with a tight opening. During her medical break, the former No. 1 called the physiotherapist and used an odd strategy: she took clippers and clipped one of her immaculately manicured nails.
Reacting to viral clip and pictures of Osaka, one X user wrote: “Medical Time Out for Naomi Osaka. She's cutting one of her nails.. fashion first I guess.”
“Naomi Osaka cutting her nails on court is a MOOD lmao,” another quipped.
“The pain and beauty of long nails 😭😭😭,” the Tennis Letter wrote.
“I can't imagine this happens too often on the tour where the nails are just too long. It is a pain if you've got long nails and you're trying to fix your strings after every point,” Laura Robson stated on TNT Sports.
Badosa vs Osaka
Before the start of second set, the physio bandaged up Osaka's finger, indicating that there were other problems besides her nails. However, the 27-year-old experienced a severe collapse, suggesting that neither the manicure nor the medical care were helpful.
With a set point for the bagel, Badosa swept through the second set to take a 5-0 lead. A decider was required when Osaka put herself on the score, but the Spaniard still won 6-1.
The world No. 10 has experienced numerous medical problems in recent months, as she was forced to withdraw from competition due to a recurring back injury.
Badosa made a comeback at the Miami Open a few weeks after retiring from the Merida Open in early March. However, she withdrew after sweeping two matches and didn't play again until the WTA tournament in Strasbourg last week, where she won one match by a landslide before losing badly.
