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Naomi Osaka tearfully addressed a heckler after her loss at Indian Wells, ESPN reports.
After the opening game of her second-round match against No. 21 seed Veronika Kudermetova, a woman in the stands shouted, “Naomi, you suck!”
According to NBC News, Osaka asked the umpire if she could address the crowd.
“I just want to say something. I’m not going to curse. I don’t curse. It’s just weighing on my heart,” Osaka told the umpire, according to NBC News.
The umpire denied her request, forcing Osaka to address the situation after the match. The situation left her in tears. She lost to Kudermetova 6-0, 6-4.
In her post-match comments, Osaka said she is used to hecklers. However, this particular heckler reminded her of a time when Venus and Serena Williams were heckled at Indian Wells, The New York Times reports.
“To be honest, I’ve gotten heckled before, and it didn’t really bother me,” Osaka said. “But, like, heckled here? I watched a video of Venus and Serena getting heckled here, and if you’ve never watched it, you should watch it.
Osaka thanked Kudermetova and the crowd before leaving the court.
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