She is not back on track yet: former world number one Naomi Osaka lost in Indian Wells and was eliminated. But she was worse hit by an insult, which left her with tears streaming down her face.
“Naomi, you suck” (translated into German: Naomi, you’re annoying) was the first sentence from the stands. An insult that was too much for Naomi Osaka from Japan. The insulting interjection completely upset the tennis superstar. Osaka subsequently failed in the WTA tournament in Indian Wells and was eliminated in the second round. During and after the 0:6, 4:6 defeat against Weronika Kudermetowa (Russia / No. 21), the four-time Grand Slam winner shed tears.
The 2018 tournament winner visibly emotional complained to the umpire about the insult. After the match, Osaka said the comment brought back memories of the scandal at the prestigious competition in California in 2001, when US stars Serena and Venus Williams were booed. Father Richard Williams had spoken of racial slurs at the time.
Osaka speaks openly about depression
“To be honest, I feel like it hasn’t really affected me before when I’ve been disturbed. But here? I saw a video of Venus and Serena being booed here,” the tearful Osaka said during the on-court interview. “I don’t know why, but it got stuck in my head and was repeated there a lot. “
The former world number one, who is open about her problems with depression, is campaigning for more consideration for athletes’ mental health.
