© Mike Frey/Imagn
Whether it’s her fault or not, oftentimes the latter, it feels like wherever tennis superstar Naomi Osaka goes, controversy seems to follow.
The Japanese-American superstar burst onto the scene in 2018, where, at just 20 years old, she defeated Serena Williams in the finals of the U.S. Open. However, what should have been Osaka’s moment was upstaged by Williams’ petulant behavior, which she later apologized for.
Osaka went on to win the following major, the 2019 Australian Open, which vaulted her to No. 1 in the world rankings. She’d go on to win the U.S. Open again in 2020, and the Aussie Open for a second time in 2021, before stepping away from the game to focus on her mental health.
Osaka also had a daughter, Shai, who was born in July of 2023.
She returned to full-time competition in 2024 and finished the 2025 season by reaching the semifinals of the U.S. Open, her best finish in a grand slam since the 2021 victory in Australia.
Sorana Cirstea Got Salty Over Naomi Osaka Hyping Herself Up
Osaka entered this year’s Aussie Open as the No. 16 seed, and advanced to the second round with a 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 victory over Antonia Ružić of Croatia in round one.
In the second round, she squared off with Romania’s Sorana Cirstea.
Throughout the match, Osaka could be heard yelling “come on!” to herself after points in order to hype herself up. This apparently didn’t sit well with Cirstea, who complained to the chair umpire. The chair umpire then told her that Osaka was doing nothing wrong.
After the match, which Osaka won 6-3, 4-6, 6-2, the two exchanged a tense handshake, leading to an awkward conversation after Osaka asked what the tension was about.
Cirstea insisted in her post-match press conference that it was nothing, but Osaka attempted to explain when asked what happened.
“Apparently a lot of ‘c’mons’ that she was angry about, but whatever,” she said. “I mean, I tried to play well, I tried my best. She’s a great player. I think this was her last Australian Open, so, OK, sorry she was mad about it.
“Honestly … no one’s ever complained about it before,” she continued. “Also, the umpire didn’t tell me I was wrong. The umpire said I was fine. Like, I thought we moved past it.”
While she likely should not have needed to, Osaka did offer an apology.
“I guess that emotions were very high for her, (so) I also want to apologize,” Osaka said. “I think the first couple things that I said on the court were disrespectful (and) I don’t like disrespecting people. That’s not what I do.”
Osaka is set to face Australia’s Maddison Inglis in the third round on Saturday. Madison Keys, the event’s defending champion, is seeded ninth and one of seven American women left in the tournament after winning the first grand slam of her career a year ago.