Naomi Osaka Addresses the Crowd after her match was interrupted by a heckler

• Naomi Osaka was tearful after being heckled at the BNP Paribas Open, California, on Saturday.
• After losing to Veronika Kudermetova, Osaka asked to speak to the crowd to explain her reaction.
• Osaka reminded Osaka that Venus and Serena Williams were also heckled at the event in 2001.

Naomi Osaka wept during a match on Saturday after being made fun of by a spectator at BNP Paribas Open.

Osaka was the former world No.1 player and four-time major winner. She was competing against Veronika Kundermetova in Indian Wells (California). ESPNReports state that a spectator shouted at the crowd. “Naomi, you suck”During the first set. According to the outlet, she asked to speak to the crowd after the match to explain her upset.

“To be honest, I’ve gotten heckled before, it didn’t really bother me,” Osaka said, ESPN reports. “But [being] heckled here, I watched a video of Venus and Serena [Williams] 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.”

ESPN reports that Osaka pulled out of her match against Kudermetova because she was being asked by the chair umpire whether the spectator could be kicked off. Later she requested to speak with the crowd using the microphone of the umpire between games. ESPN reports that both of her requests were denied.

The outlet reported that Osaka’s supervisor had once spoken to Osaka at the court, telling him the umpire. “If it happens again, we’re going to find him.”

Kudermetova later won the tennis match, 6-1, 6-4. She claimed she didn’t hear Osaka cry after the interaction but was focused on the game, ESPN reported.

Insider reached out to Osaka representatives but they did not immediately reply.

The incident involving Serena and Venus Williams happened at the BNP Paribas Open in 2001 when they, alongside their father Richard, were booed loudly by spectators as Serena played — and later defeated — Kim Clijsters, ESPN reported.

According to the outlet, Venus and Serena boycotted the tournament. Venus made her return in 2016 and Serena declined to appear until 2015.

A November 2021 episodeRed Table TalkSerena stated that returning to the tournament 14-years later was still possible. “traumatizing.”

“Talk about post-traumatic stress and mental anxiety. I remember sitting in the bathroom thinking, ‘Wait, I’m not gonna go back. I just don’t think I should do this. What if they start booing again?’ It was really hard for me,”She said.