In a 6-0, 6-4 loss to Veronika Kudermetova in the second
round, the 24-year-old was heckled by a fan in the Indian Wells crowd.
The fan was repeatedly yelling, "Naomi, you suck"
as Kudermetova went to serve.
After the game, Osaka, who was brought to tears during the
match, asked if the fan could be removed. She also asked if she could speak to
the fan via the umpire's microphone. Her requests were denied, and play
resumed.
After Osaka finished out the match, she waited for
Kudermetova to address the crowd before asking to say some words herself.
"To be honest, I've gotten heckled before, it didn't
really bother me," Osaka said.
"But heckled here, I watched a video of [the Williams
sisters] getting 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 it got replayed a lot. I'm
trying not to cry."
Osaka was referring to an incident involving the Williams
sisters that occurred in 2001, when Serena was jeered all throughout a match
with Kim Clijsters.
The anger was funneled to Serena because of suspicions that
her father, Richard, had a hand in Venus' injury withdrawal in the semifinals,
which was slated to be between Venus and Serena.
Both sisters boycotted the tournament for several years.
Serena didn't return until 2015, and Venus participated in 2016.
Osaka has long worn her heart on her sleeve. When she was
the No. 2 player in the world, she made headlines for withdrawing from
Wimbledon in 2021, citing her mental health. Osaka talked openly about her
struggles with anxiety and mental health at that time.
Her struggles have been ongoing since she won the 2021
Australian Open. She pulled out of two tournaments and took a break after
losing in the third round of the US Open. The Paribas Open was her first
tournament since she lost in the third round of the 2022 Australian Open.
Osaka is next scheduled to appear at the Miami Open later
this month.