Naomi Osaka has drawn plenty of attention at this year’s Australian Open, and it’s not just because of her play.
Her vibrant entrance before facing Antonia Ružić in the first round got people talking, and there was also some controversy that cropped up during her second-round match.
Sorana Cirstea accused Osaka of gamesmanship after their match, suggesting the two-time Australian Open champion was distracting her between serves.
While some have come to Osaka’s defence over her actions in Melbourne, Jelena Djokovic isn’t among them. She spoke out against the Japanese star on X (formerly Twitter), making it clear where she stood.
Jelena Djokovic says Naomi Osaka was causing a ‘hindrance’ at the Australian Open
Speaking on Instagram, Jelena Djokovic offered her perspective on the situation between Osaka and Cirstea during their third-round meeting. She sided with Cirstea, who had accused Osaka of causing distractions between serves.
“I’m surprised that this is not being called hindrance. In between two serves, when crowds are applauding or shouting, the chair umpire asks not to shout between serves as it is disturbing to the player.
“The point is not finished. Sorana missed her first serve and is focusing on getting in the second, it is a slight pause. And it’s disrespectful to applaud at someone’s first serve mistake too.”
Djokovic felt that Osaka’s behaviour crossed a line and that the officials should have addressed it during the match.
“I am surprised that the chair / Naomi thought that was fair?! Were there any rule changes that I missed?! It is about when and how.
“She as a professional player would know that is definitely NOT in between first and second serve of your opponent. Unless you want to provoke.
“In this case, I don’t see why she is acting surprised at the end that Sorana got provoked. Naomi is being cheered on by her fans for pumping herself, great.”
The two-time champion will be looking to move past this incident as she gears up for her next match against Maddison Inglis in round three.
Naomi Osaka responds to Cirstea’s claims after their Australian Open match
Osaka was asked about the gamesmanship accusations during her post-match press conference at the Australian Open.
She said she didn’t feel she’d done anything wrong and pointed out that there hadn’t been any previous complaints about her behaviour.
“Also the umpire didn’t tell me, like, I was wrong. The umpire said I was fine. I was like, Okay. That was kind of what I thought. Like, I thought we moved past it, so…”
This latest encounter between Osaka and Cirstea in Melbourne is only their second meeting overall. The first came nearly a decade ago in 2015 when Cirstea won their match-up at a tournament in Lausanne.
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