Indian Wells: Naomi Osaka brought to tears by the crowd

    Naomi Osaka was shaken by a heckler right at the beginning in her second-round match against Veronika Kudermetova on Saturday.

    Naomi Osaka was brought to tears during her recent match Image credit: PA Images Naomi Osaka was brought to tears during her recent match

    She never recuperated as she fell 0-6, 4-6 at Indian Wells. After she was broken in the main game, a fan yelled, "Naomi, you suck", the incident brought Naomi Osaka to tears. She was later seen sitting wiping off her face while sitting courtside.

    Naomi Osaka, the 2018 Indian Wells champion, addressed the crowd on the centre court after the incident. She said that the incident reminded her of when a similar incident happened with Serena Williams and Venus Williams at the same tournament in 2001.

    Indian Wells previous problems 

    Naomi Osaka mentioned that she had been booed before, but it never bothered her much. However, being bothered at Indian Wells reminded her of the video footage of Serena Willliams getting heckled in the same tournament in 2001. The footage was stuck in her mind and kept playing in her mind in a loop. After addressing the crowd, she thanked everyone and congratulated Veronika Kudermetova for her victory.

    Veronika Kudermetova stayed calm and focused despite the incident. She carried on with her impressive start to the year and defeated Naomi even after she raised her game during the second set of the match.

    Naomi Osaka Mental Toughness 

    Naomi Osaka has opened up about her struggles to her fans in the past and revealed her waves of anxiety and a three-year-long battle with depression. She took a break from tennis after an incident at the US Open where she lost her composure and sent the racquet bouncing across the court after dropping one point.

    She pulled out of the French Open after the second round. She withdrew from Wimbledon before coming back to participate in the Tokyo Olympics 2021, where she lit the Olympic torch as one of the most well known Japanese athletes.

    Naomi Osaka has four Gran Slam titles, including the 2018 US Open which she won after a chaotic final against Serena Williams, 2020 US Open, 2019 and 2021 Australian Open titles. She was ranked world No. 2 during July-August 2021 but has dropped across the board due to her anxiety issue and unforeseen breaks.

    Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray expressed their sympathy for Naomi Osaka. Both of them unanimously shared the sentiment that high profile athletes need to be prepared for heckling as such behavior is an unfortunate part of the sport.

     

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