Despite losing her match on Saturday, Naomi Osaka wanted to address a heckler who continued to yell and scream from the crowd, causing her to lose concentration.
RELATED STORIES: Sha’Carri Richardson Defends Naomi Osaka From Critics After Tennis Star Reveals She’s Considering Taking Another Break After US Open Loss
During her match against Veronika Kudermetova on Saturday, Osaka addressed the umpire after she was losing 3-0 in the first set due to a heckler who screamed “Naomi, you suck!” She told the umpire that she wasn’t going to use any curse words to address the woman in the crowd and added, “It’s just weighing on my heart.” Officials told Osaka that she wouldn’t be allowed to but promised that the woman would be escorted if it happened again.
After losing the second set 6-4, Osaka decided to address the crowd post-game and said: To be honest, I’ve been heckled before. It didn’t really bother me. “But heckled here, like, I’ve watched a video of Venus and Serena get heckled here, and if you’ve never watched it, you should watch it. I don’t know why, but it went into my head and got replayed a lot.” According to TMZ, Osaka referenced a 2001 match where Serena Williams was also booed after winning the Indian Wells Tourney.
RELATED STORIES: Naomi Osaka Is Officially The Highest Paid Female Athlete Of 2021
The heckling from the crowd happened after Venus was reportedly injured before the match. Fans assumed the injury was fake and booed Serena which led to her stopping playing in the tournament again for the next 15 years.