Naomi Osaka brought to tears by heckler during match (Video)

Naomi Osaka brought to tears by heckler during match.

Noami Osaka had a rough outing against Veronika Kudermetova and turned emotional at one point after being heckled by a fan in the stands.

Osaka was visibly upset during the first set of her match after a woman in the crowd yelled, “Noami, you suck.”

Osaka clarified that the incident reminded her of another heckling incident in 2001 where Serena Williams was targeted during a finals appearance against Kim Clijsters. Williams allegedly cried in the locker room after her victory due to racial slurs targeting her and her father.

“To be be honest, I’ve been heckled before,” Osaka said to the crowd, according to Desert Sun. “It didn’t really bother me. But heckled here? Like, I’ve watched a video of Venus and Serena (Williams) get heckled here, and if you’ve never watched it, you should watch it. And I don’t know why, but it went into my head and got replayed a lot.”

Watch Naomi Osaka address crowd after heckling incident

This isn’t the first time we’ve seen Osaka open up about her mental health or get emotional while on the tennis court. In 2021, Osaka announced she was going to take a break from tennis.

“When I win, I don’t feel happy, I feel more like a relief,” she said during a post-match interview. “When I lose I feel very sad and I don’t think that’s normal.”

Osaka’s break did not last long. She competed in the Melbourne Summer Series just three months later. Her efforts in Melbourne fell short when she forfeited a match against none other than Veronica Kudermentova due to minor injury and body aches.

The crowd was largely in Osaka’s favor yesterday, yet the 24-year old seemed rattled throughout the majority of her match. She appeared distracted, losing all four of her break points and only converting on 46 percent of her first serves. This does not represent Osaka’s usually dominant self. Osaka converted 70 percent of her first serves in her last win and averages above 50 percent for 2022.