Naomi Osaka shares social media message after Indian Wells exit

WATCH: Naomi Osaka addresses the crowd following her loss in the second round of the 2022 BNP Paribas Open.

Naomi Osaka is a four-time Grand Slam champion with seven titles to her name, but lately she’s been all about celebrating the small victories—on and off the court.

The Japanese player has been vocal about the ways she is adjusting her mindset and approach to professional tennis in order to protect her mental health. In the past, she’s cut down on her tournament schedule and taken time away from the sport. She’s also made a point of trying to find joy in both wins and losses—a difficult prospect for any professional athlete whose career is often defined by those statistics.

Nearly a week after her BNP Paribas Open campaign ended in a fraught straight-sets defeat in the second round, Osaka took to Twitter to send her fans a reassuring message.

“Very proud of myself for reaching a point in my life that despite the lows, I would still rather be myself than anyone else,” Osaka wrote.

But there was little joy when Osaka’s campaign for a second Indian Wells title came to an abrupt end at the hands of No. 21 seed Veronika Kudermetova, after a heckler’s rude interruption toward the start of the match left in tears. Buoyed by the rest of Stadium One’s vocal support, Osaka rallied in the second set but couldn’t complete the comeback as she bowed out 6-0, 6-4.

After the match, Osaka said the incident brought up painful memories of watching videos of her childhood idols Venus and Serena Williams being subjected to heckling during the Indian Wells final in 2001. Venus and Serena boycotted the tournament for 15 years after being booed and heckled, with their dad and coach Richard Williams also alleging that he was the target of racial abuse.

Osaka also sent her followers another message, but this one required a bit of deciphering. Fans were confused when the Japanese player posted a phone number accompanied by a puppy-dog eyes emoji, but anyone who dialed was quickly left feeling the same way.

The tweet was a shout out to a viral campaign that’s designed to spread positivity. The phone number belongs to a hotline called “Peptoc”, which was created by students from the West Side Union Grade School in California. The elementary school created the adorable advice service as a class project, but two days after its launch it was reportedly receiving over 500 calls an hour.

Dialing the number brings up a number of self-help messages fit for any situation—all of them recorded entirely by the elementary students themselves. The choices include “If you’re feeling mad, frustrated, or nervous, press 1,” and “If you need a pep talk from kindergarteners, press 3.”

Osaka, ranked No. 78, is next scheduled to compete in the Miami Open. She previously received a wild card into the WTA 1000 event, but now has direct entry into the draw after a number of pre-tournament withdrawals.