Naomi Osaka takes photos with fans in parking lot despite loss to Coco Gauff at Mubadala Silicon Valley Classic

Naomi Osaka took time to take photos with fans despite suffering a loss to Coco Gauff in the Mubadala Silicon Valley Classic on Thursday.

Osaka, who said post-match that the defeat did not affect her confidence, remained gracious to supporters who asked for photos while she was on her way to her car in the parking lot.

KRON4 sports reporter Kylen Mills posted about it on her Twitter account.

"Help me get this out there. Naomi Osaka is an absolute gem. Hours after her match, (a loss too) while walking to the parking lot, she stopped to take photos with every employee and fan, all the way up until she was getting in her car. Class," Mills tweeted, including photos of Osaka.

"She would be ready to walk away and somebody would yell, 'Wait, Naomi!,' and she would turn back to take the photo. She was kind and pleasant to everyone. Really cool to see. I hope she bounces back in the US Open," Mills added.

Osaka mounted a late fightback but faltered in the end as Gauff finally steeled herself to complete the 6-4, 6-4 victory.

Osaka later said that while she may have lost the match, she has not lost her belief in herself.

"When I was playing, I realized I've been letting people call me mentally weak for so long that I forgot who I was. I lost today but I feel really confident in who I am. I feel like the pressure doesn't beat me. I am the pressure. I'm really happy with that," said Osaka.

"Just went through my old notes from last year; Wow, I'm basically a whole different person now" - Naomi Osaka

Naomi Osaka rises above her struggles

Naomi Osaka recently posted on her Twitter account how she was a "whole different person now" from last year.

Osaka openly spoke about suffering from depression and anxiety, first withdrawing from the French Open last year before taking extended mental health breaks thereafter.

"Just went through my old notes from last year. Wow, I'm basically a whole different person now," tweeted Osaka.

Osaka started seeing a therapist after a heckling incident at Indian Wells last March brought her to tears.

"I finally started talking to a therapist after Indian Wells. It only took like a year after French Open," said Osaka during her press conference at the Miami Open later that month.

"I realize how helpful it is. I'm glad that I have people around me that told me to go in that direction," she added.