Novak Djokovic is expected to cross paths with another player in a potentially frosty encounter at the Australian Open this weekend
Kasra Moradi Senior Sports Journalist
15:12, 23 Jan 2026
Novak Djokovic is set for an awkward encounter at the Australian Open (Image: Graham Denholm, Getty Images)
Novak Djokovic could be set for a frosty showdown with Naomi Osaka following his wife’s remarks about the Australian Open star.
Osaka found herself embroiled in controversy during her second round women’s singles clash with Sorana Cirstea on Thursday.
The four-time Grand Slam champion narrowly defeated Cirstea in a gripping three-set encounter, which included her Romanian rival complaining to the umpire about her behaviour and a frosty post-match handshake.
Osaka had irritated her opponent by yelling “come on” to pump herself up. She shouted it during the third set, prompting Cirstea’s complaint, and between her opponent’s first and second serves. Cirstea confronted Osaka during their handshake over the net, to which the latter delivered a cutting response in her on-court interview.
Osaka said: “Apparently, a lot of ‘come ons’ because that’s what she was angry about,” before adding: “She’s a great player. I think this was her last Australian Open… I’m sorry she was mad about it.”
The two-time Australian Open champion later backtracked and apologised in the press conference, saying: “I want to apologise. I think the first couple things that I said on the court were disrespectful. I don’t like disrespecting people. That’s not what I do.”
Osaka faced scrutiny for yelling between points(Image: Getty)
When asked whether she believed Cirstea had grown frustrated by her behaviour, Osaka responded: “Honestly, no. For me, no one’s ever complained about it before. Also, the umpire didn’t tell me I was wrong. I thought we moved past it. If I’m being honest, I’ve never been involved in something like this before, so I don’t know if we’re supposed to leave it on the court and be like, ‘Hey, how you doing?’ I’m a little confused. I guess that emotions were very high for her.”
Osaka insisted her increasingly loud celebrations were simply intended to motivate herself, while Cirstea, who plans to retire at the end of the season, played down the controversy afterwards. She said: “No, all good. We just had a chat. Nothing big. Again, I don’t think that’s the main thing after tonight’s match. She was much better than me towards the end. Yeah, she deserved the win.”
Osaka’s next opponent is Aussie Maddison Inglis in the third round at Rod Laver Arena on Saturday morning. There, she may well cross paths with Djokovic in the players’ lounge, as the Serbian icon opens the evening session at 8am GMT on the same court.
That encounter could prove awkward given the comments made by Djokovic’s wife Jelena, who criticised Osaka on Instagram following her victory. Jelena accused Osaka of disrupting Cirstea between serves and suggested the Romanian’s response was entirely justified.
Jelena Djokovic publicly called out Naomi Osaka(Image: Getty)
Jelena wrote: “Hmm, I’m surprised that this is not being called a hindrance. In between 2 serves, when crowds are applauding or shouting, the chair ump asks not to shout between serves as it is disturbing to the player.
“The point is not finished. Sorana missed her first serve and is focusing on getting in the second, it is a slight pause. And it is disrespectful to applaud at someone’s first serve mistake too. I am surprised that the chair / Naomi thought that was fair?! Were there any rule changes that I missed?!”
One fan responded and told Djokovic’s wife they saw “nothing wrong in what Naomi did” but Jelena took issue with the timing. “There’s nothing wrong with pumping yourself up, and that’s not even the point of this comment, sorry I wasn’t clear enough,” she explained.
“It is about when and how. She as a professional player would know that is is definitely NOT in between 1st and 2nd serve of your opponent. Unless you want to provoke. In this case, I don’t see why she is acting surprised at the end that Sorana got provoked. Naomi is being cheered on by her fans for pumping herself, great. I just didn’t see her ever doing this to another player so I thought it was a rule change or something.”
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