"Anything Nick Kyrgios touches, loses" - Fans react in anger after Naomi Osaka fumbles golden chance at Wimbledon with Aussie in her player box

Naomi Osaka saw her golden opportunity to win a fifth Grand Slam slip away at the 2025 Wimbledon Championships, falling to Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the third round. Interestingly, Nick Kyrgios was spotted in her box again during the match, and some fans were quick to blame the Aussie for her early exit.

Osaka began her Wimbledon campaign on a strong note, cruising past Talia Gibson and then easing past Katerina Siniakova with little trouble. But things took a sharp turn against Pavlyuchenkova. After winning the first set comfortably, she seemed to lose her rhythm and struggled to find answers, eventually falling 6-3, 4-6, 4-6.

This was a big missed chance for the Japanese, given her relatively smooth path, at least up to the quarterfinals. If she had managed to get past Pavlyuchenkova, she would’ve faced Sonay Kartal in the fourth round, with a potential quarterfinal showdown against Amanda Anisimova.

But what left fans on X (formerly Twitter) a bit uneasy was seeing Nick Kyrgios in Naomi Osaka’s box, cheering her on. The two share a friendly bond, and while his support isn’t new--he was also there for her first-round match--many fans couldn't help but link his presence to her unexpected loss.

“The Kyrgios effect. Anything he touches, loses. L,” one user wrote.

“Nick Kyrgios wants to be part of something so bad. Osaka pls get him out of your box it’s weird,” another wrote.

One account posted:

“Why is Naomi Osaka talking to herself loudly right now? Ah Nick Kyrgios is watching her again.”

“I'd normally be disappointed that Osaka is out but given the whole Nick Kyrgios thing... goodwill has evaporated,” one fan wrote.

"I’m starting to wonder if it’s ever gonna happen for Naomi on this comeback. The draw was finally open for her here and every loss feels like the same match over and over again," another wrote.

One account tweeted:

"Said it before and I'm proved right at every tournament: once that mental strength goes, it can never return. Osaka has had a great career but she will never again be even close to what she was."

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Naomi Osaka teams up with Nick Kyrgios for US Open mixed doubles

Nick Kyrgios and Naomi Osaka pictured together | Image Source: Getty

Naomi Osaka is all set to join forces with Nick Kyrgios for mixed doubles at the upcoming US Open in August. It’ll be the first time the two play together, adding even more buzz to an already star-studded lineup that includes Carlos Alcaraz-Emma Raducanu, Madison Keys-Frances Tiafoe, and others.

During her media interaction at Wimbledon, Osaka spoke about teaming up with Kyrgios and said she’s "really excited” for the experience. She added that she’s always felt a "weird" connection with the Aussie.

“I am really excited to play mixed doubles with him,” the Japanese said. “I think he’s obviously won a doubles tournament. Yeah, I think it should be fun. I don’t know, I have always felt like I’ve always related to him in a weird way, even though we’re completely different. I kind of understand some of the things that he does."

The US Open mixed doubles will be played as a standalone event on August 19–20, just days before the main draw begins on August 24. The USTA pushed the event forward in hopes of encouraging more top singles players to join in without it clashing with their Grand Slam campaigns.