Naomi Osaka has apologized for her “disrespectful” on-court conversation following her second-round win over Romania’s Sorana Cirstea, where the two had a heated exchange at the net after the match.
Osaka and Cirstea shook hands before going over to shake hands with presiding referee Kelly Rask before Cirstea exchanged words with Osaka and the Romanian left the court.
Sorana Cirstea, left, of Romania, confronts Naomi Osaka, right, of Japan after the match.Credit: AP
Cirstea looked annoyed as Osaka pumped herself up and shouted “Come on” between the first and second serves.
As Osaka made her way to an on-court interview, the four-time major champion, clearly shaken by the exchange, answered a question about what it took to beat her opponent in the second round.
“[There were] apparently a lot of ‘Come on’ that she was angry at, but whatever,” Osaka said.
“I mean, I tried to play well, I think I hit a lot of unforced errors, but I tried my best. She’s a great player, I think this was her last Australian Open, so OK, [I’m] sorry she got upset about that.”
Naomi Osaka in her interview on court.Credit: Getty Images
But Osaka apologized for the interview at her post-match press conference, saying emotions were likely running high for the Romanian, who retires at the end of 2026.
“Well, to be honest, I’ve never been involved in anything like that, so I don’t know if we should leave it on the court and say, ‘Hey, how [are] are you doing?’ [in the locker room]Osaka said.
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