“Pair with Daniil, he is tragic at doubles”

Having struggled with a number of injuries and repeated early exits in the last two years, Naomi Osaka will not enter the upcoming US Open as the favorite. It’s safe to say that the Japanese star’s confidence level isn’t high heading into the final Major of the year.

That is why even though the World No. 39 wants to play mixed doubles in New York, she is afraid of letting her partner down. The four-time Grand Slam singles champion recently took to social media to talk about it:

“I kinda want to play mixed doubles in US Open cause I’ve never played a full match in my life but I’m also very afraid of letting my partner down,” Osaka tweeted.

I kinda want to play mixed doubles in US Open cause I’ve never played a full match in my life but I’m also very afraid of letting my partner down

I kinda want to play mixed doubles in US Open cause I’ve never played a full match in my life but I’m also very afraid of letting my partner down 💀

It has been a few hours since Osaka let her fans know about it. Tennis lovers on Twitter immediately came up with a variety of suggestions so that the former World No. 1 can have a great experience playing mixed doubles.

Players like Daniil Medvedev, Andy Murray, Nick Kyrgios, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Kei Nishikori, and Denis Shapovalov were among the names thrown at her.

“Ask Andy to play. He will be happy to play mixed doubles with you,” a fan tweeted.

“Take a younger athlete who may never get to play in the open. They’ll be excited to just be there and share the court with some of the best in the world,” another user posted.

“Perhaps they should be afraid of letting you down. Don’t short yourself,” another tweet read.

Here are a few more reactions:

@naomiosaka Pair with Daniil, he is tragic at doubles, you can’t possibly let him down

@naomiosaka Pair with Daniil, he is tragic at doubles, you can’t possibly let him down 💀

Naomi Osaka faced R1 exit in Cincinnati

The 2021 Australian Open was the last title that Naomi Osaka added to her trophy cabinet. So far, she has clinched seven WTA singles titles, including two Australian Opens, two US Opens, two WTA 1000s (Indian Wells and China Open), and the 2019 Pan Pacific Open.

During the clay season, Osaka picked up an achilles injury, resulting in a first-round exit from the French Open. It also led to the Japanese star’s absence from all grass tournaments, including Wimbledon. She came back on tour at the Silicon Valley Classic in San Jose, but lost to Coco Gauff in the second round.

Osaka then retired mid-match in the first round of the Canadian Open, trailing 7-6(4), 3-0 against Kaia Kanepi. In her opening match at Cincinnati, the 24-year-old lost 6-4, 7-5 to China’s Shuai Zhang.