“He doesn’t deserve my respect”: Whoopi Goldberg Triggers Naomi Osaka’s Unrelenting Ten-Word Response That Set the World on Fire
New York, November 16, 2025 – The set of The View had never known such icy silence. At precisely 11:12 a.m., Whoopi Goldberg, 70, the iconic film star and legendary co-host, uttered a sentence that shook the walls of the ABC studio: “He doesn’t deserve my respect.” His usually mischievous gaze had turned steely. The audience of 250, who had come to applaud the heated debates, froze. Joy Behar opened her mouth, then closed it again. Sunny Hostin lowered her eyes. And the name spoken? Naomi Osaka – four-time Grand Slam champion, 28 years old, mother of a little girl named Shai, and one of the most beloved players on the WTA circuit.
The context? A segment on Osaka’s “failed comeback” after giving birth. Whoopi, a self-proclaimed Serena Williams fan, didn’t mince words: “Naomi came back, yes, but for what? Quarterfinals in Brisbane, a first-round loss at the US Open against a qualifier. She talks about mental health, but where’s the competitiveness? She doesn’t deserve my respect until she wins like she used to.” The tone was so cold, so cutting, that even Alyssa Farah Griffin, the panel’s curator, murmured, “Whoopi, that’s harsh…”
Five minutes later, at 11:17 a.m., the control room phone buzzed. A text message, sent from Melbourne where Osaka is training for the 2026 Australian Open. Ten words, exactly. Ten words that set social media ablaze in less than thirty seconds:
Ten words. Not one more. Naomi Osaka, live on her X account (formerly Twitter), posted the phrase with a photo: her, sweating, on Rod Laver Court, holding her racket like a sword. The tweet reached 1.8 million likes in one hour. #Osaka10Words became the number one trending topic worldwide. TikTok exploded with slow-motion edits of her past victories – Miami 2018, US Open 2018, Australian Open 2019 and 2021 – set to the tune of Sweet but Psycho . Even Elon Musk retweeted: “Mic drop.”
In the studio, Whoopi went pale. The control room abruptly cut the commercial. When she returned, the presenter tried to recover: “I like Naomi, I really do. But we expect more from her.” Too late. The damage was done. Serena Williams, Osaka’s mentor, posted an Instagram story: a photo of herself and Naomi at Wimbledon 2019, captioned “Respect isn’t given, it’s earned – on AND off the court.” 2.3 million views.
Osaka’s past makes the statement even more impactful. In 2021, she boycotted press conferences at Roland-Garros to protect her mental health, incurring a $15,000 fine. Whoopi Goldberg defended her at the time, saying, “Let her breathe!” Four years later, the turnaround is dramatic. Osaka hasn’t forgotten. Her next tweet, at 11:45 a.m., read: “I’ve learned not to beg for respect. I take it on the court. Melbourne, January.” It included a burning racket emoji.
Reactions poured in. Billie Jean King: “Naomi just gave a lesson in dignity.” Coco Gauff: “My big sister has spoken. End of story.” Even retired Roger Federer liked it. In France, L’Équipe headlined: “Osaka 1 – Goldberg 0.” In the United States, The New York Times called it “a cultural moment.” On Reddit, r/tennis exploded: 45,000 upvotes for a thread titled “Whoopi vs. Osaka: Who won?”
At 2 p.m., Osaka posted a practice video: 45 minutes of serving, 200 km/h, zero errors. Caption: “Respect? I serve it.” The whole world understood. At the end of the show, Whoopi attempted an apology: “I was harsh, but it’s tough love.” Too late. Social media had already crowned its queen.
Tonight in Melbourne, Osaka is training under the floodlights. Tomorrow, she’ll face a sparring partner. In January, the Australian Open. And somewhere in New York, Whoopi Goldberg might be watching the match in silence. Ten words were all it took. Ten words to remind everyone that respect, in tennis as in life, isn’t given. It’s earned. And Naomi Osaka has just proven it, once again.
