2 Years After Horrible Heckling Incident, Naomi Osaka Opens Up About Adverse Effects While Praising Tennis’ Mental Health Support

“Growing up, I was told to tough it out. And I was in my head thinking athletes are supposed to stick it out and you’re actually weak if you show your emotions…so it was a very big internal battle,” said Naomi Osaka in a previous interview. However, the 26-year-old Japanese superstar couldn’t hold her emotions for too long after a horrible incident at the 2022 Indian Wells Masters. Two years later, after that shameful incident, Naomi Osaka reflects on how things have changed a bit nowadays.

During her R64 match against Russia’s Veronika Kudermetova at the 2022 Indian Wells Masters, a heckler shouted at Naomi Osaka, which led her to burst into tears. What did the heckler say to her that time? As per several reports, during her match against Kudermetova, a woman yelled, “Naomi, you s-ck!” Reflecting on this shameful moment inside the stadium, Naomi Osaka revealed that, “It kind of took me out of my element.” Shortly after that incident, she was seen asking the umpire for permission to use the microphone to address the crowd.

However, the umpire denied her request, and she had to wait until the end of her match to make her comments. After getting the mic in her hand, she said, “I just want to say, ‘Thank you,’” in a quivering voice and wiping the tears that rolled down her cheeks. “I feel like I’ve cried enough on camera. I just wanted to say, to be honest, I’ve been heckled before like it didn’t really bother me,” she said at that time. That moment reminded her of Serena and Venus Williams’ similar experiences in the past.

Perhaps that’s what made her more emotional. She recently gave an interview with PEOPLE, where she reflected a bit on that horrifying experience and added that she’s pleased to see the tennis community taking mental health issues “really seriously” in recent years. She’s grateful that “almost all” the tournaments now offer access to “facilities with quiet rooms” and “someone you can talk to on-site 24/7.”