Wednesday, March 27

Heckler brings Naomi Osaka to tears in match in Indian Wells


Naomi Osaka of Japan addresses the crowd about being heckled during her match against Veronika Kudermetova of Russia during round two of the BNP Paribas Open at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden in Indian Wells, Calif., Saturday, March 12, 2022.

A heckler brought Naomi Osaka to tears and rattled the Japanese tennis star during an emotional 6-0, 6-4 loss to Veronika Kudermetova Saturday at the BNP Paribas Open. 

A woman in the crowd inside Stadium 1 yelled, “Naomi, you suck!” at Osaka after Kudermetova went up a break early in the first set. The four-time Grand Slam champion, who has been transparent about her struggles with mental health, began to tear up and was visibly shook on Center Court at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden.

Fans around the woman yelled to have the heckler removed, but chair umpire Paula Vieira Souza said that the woman could not be identified and the match resumed, with the crowd largely behind Osaka. 

At a break in play, following the second game, Osaka asked Souza for a microphone to address the crowd.

“Can I borrow your microphone?” Osaka asked the chair umpire.

“What do you want to say?” Souza responded.

“I just want to say something,” Osaka replied. “I’m not going to curse. I don’t curse. It’s just weighing on my heart.”

Souza spoke to WTA Tour supervisor Claire Wood, who then spoke to Osaka for several minutes before declining the request. A player taking the microphone mid-match would have been unprecedented.

Most of the conversation was inaudible but video replay of the conversation clearly picks up the supervisor saying of the heckler, “If it happens again, we’re going to find him.”

Naomi Osaka of Japan hits a shot to Veronika Kudermetova of Russia during round two of the BNP Paribas Open at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden in Indian Wells, Calif., Saturday, March 12, 2022.

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The incident created a stir in the crowd and an almost immediate distraction for Osaka, who quickly fell behind two breaks and lost the first set 6-0 to the Russian.

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Into the second set, Osaka seemed to shake off the first set loss. But Kudermetova patrolled the baseline with authority and appeared more focused and poised than Osaka during the critical moments of the set. 

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