Naomi Osaka once again became one of the most talked-about figures at the recent Australian Open, and not solely because of her tennis.
The former world No. 1 first grabbed headlines for her bold, fashion-forward entrance ahead of her opening match, stepping onto the Melbourne stage in a look unlike anything she had previously unveiled at a Grand Slam.
Naomi Osaka of Japan talks to the media after defeating Sorana Cirstea of Romania
Getty Images
The spotlight intensified days later following a tense exchange with Sorana Cîrstea after their second-round match.
The Romanian player confronted Osaka over the repeated “Come on!” shouts she let out during several decisive moments, along with what she viewed as an overly demonstrative on-court attitude.
“Apparently there were a lot of ‘Come on!’s that upset her. Either way, she’s a great player. I think this was her last Australian Open. I’m sorry if that bothered her. I guess I was just really excited. I also want to apologize. I think the first things I said on court were disrespectful. I don’t like being disrespectful to people. That’s not who I am,” Osaka said during her press conference.
At the time, it seemed the two-time Australian Open champion was determined to close the chapter.
However, the controversy flared up again when she fired back at Theodora Petalas, the former girlfriend of Stefanos Tsitsipas, who recently launched a tennis podcast and criticized Osaka’s vocal celebrations as unsportsmanlike.
Stefanos Tsitsipas and Theodora Petalas
Sources
“I laugh when people that don’t know anything about tennis start a podcast about tennis. What do you mean grunting is unsportsmanlike and it gives you the ick? Watch a different sport lol,” Osaka wrote on social media, clearly irritated by the comments.
The podcast, titled What’s the Call?, recently featured Tsitsipas himself. The Greek star reflected on key moments from his career and shared a friendly dynamic with Petalas, with whom he ended his relationship in early 2023 but reportedly maintains a good relationship.
Osaka and Tsitsipas have crossed paths before in public debate. In 2022, Tsitsipas suggested that women’s tennis should adopt best-of-five-set matches at Grand Slam tournaments, aligning with the men’s format, a proposal that Osaka swiftly rejected.
“Does he want to play nine sets? If he wants my matches to last longer, then I want his to last longer too,” she responded at the time.
“If we changed the format, the way we train would have to change as well, and I think it would take a long time to implement on tour. A man is talking about our sport, so I don’t think his idea is going to be considered,” the former world No. 1 said.
AloJapan.com