VIDEO: Naomi Osaka Brought to Tears by Heckler During Match

Tennis star Naomi Osaka became visibly upset and emotional on Saturday after a heckler in the stands shouted, “Naomi, you suck!” during a match.

The incident occurred at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden at Indian Wells, California, in the middle of Osaka’s match against Veronika Kudermetova. The heckler can clearly be heard in the video.

For those who may have missed this, Naomi Osaka had to deal with some nutcase person at Indian Wells yelling “Naomi YOU SUCK!” at her before the second game of her match vs Veronika Kudermetova #BNPPO22 @BNPPARIBASOPEN pic.twitter.com/FNJrw3099Y

— Andrew Jones (@TWDTV1) March 13, 2022

Osaka then stopped the action and approached the chair umpire to try and get the heckler removed.

Naomi Osaka caught wind of the insane fan and was visibly and JUSTIFIABLY upset at this type of rude fan hackling that does not happen in tennis, AT ALL.

And Osaka rightfully complained to the chair umpire about this clown fan needing to be thrown out #BNPPO22 pic.twitter.com/6e12i9frRc

— Andrew Jones (@TWDTV1) March 13, 2022

After losing the match to Kudermetova, Osaka wanted to use the chair umpire’s mic to address the crowd about the heckler but was at least initially denied.

Naomi Osaka, after Veronika Kudermetova’s win, still wants to address the crowd at the moment. #BNPPO22 pic.twitter.com/E25sla0NOI

— Andrew Jones (@TWDTV1) March 13, 2022

Undeterred, Osaka was eventually provided a mic and told the crowd of the “flashbacks” the heckler’s taunts had stirred up inside her.

Naomi Osaka addressed crowd at #IndianWells after her loss. Says the heckler didn’t bother her as much as the flashback in her head to when Venus & Serena Williams, along with Richard, were booed & heckled years ago. Serena boycotted the tourney for 14 yrs pic.twitter.com/Umb8tMvKFP

— Josh Sánchez (@joshnsanchez) March 13, 2022

Osaka has battled mental health issues her entire life. She claimed to have experienced “long bouts of depression” following her 2018 win at the U.S. Open. Then, in 2021, she stirred controversy by announcing that she would not attend press conferences during the French Open as a way to manage her stress and anxiety. Osaka, the world’s highest-paid active female athlete, eventually withdrew from the French Open and was fined $15,000.

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