Naomi Osaka criticised by two former world No 1’s after Sorana Cirstea controversy at Australian Open
Former world No 1’s Martina Navratilova and Lindsay Davenport believe Naomi Osaka was wrong to speak between Sorana Cirstea’s first and second serves during their contentious Australian Open showdown.
Former world No 1 and four-time Grand Slam champion Osaka battled past tour veteran Cirstea in an entertaining second-round match at the Australian Open on Thursday, with the 16th seed claiming a 6-3, 4-6, 6-2 victory inside the Margaret Court Arena.
However, the match caused some controversy, with Osaka making pointed comments towards her opponent during her on-court interview following a tense end to the match.
World No 41 Cirstea, who was making her final Australian Open appearance, appeared to complain to the umpire when serving at 4-2 down in the deciding set, stating that Osaka was saying “come on” to herself in between her first and second service motions.
The pair proceeded to exchange a brief but seemingly tense conversation following the post-match handshake, though both women attempted to defuse the situation in their respective press conferences.
Osaka apologised in her press conference for the “disrespectful” comments she made in her on-court interview, but tennis greats Navratilova and Davenport both believe the Japanese star was wrong to speak in between her opponent’s first and second serves.
Speaking on Tennis Channel, 18-time Grand Slam singles champion Navratilova stated that, while Osaka was not intentionally doing anything wrong, she should be more careful in the future.
“I can get what [Osaka] said after the match because it’s kind of in the heat of the moment — she was surprised by Cirstea’s reaction at the handshake,” said Navratilova. “But you cannot be talking out loud between first and second serves of your opponent.
Tennis News
Emma Raducanu gets candid advice as Andy Roddick questions her approach after Australian Open exit
Victoria Mboko & Iva Jovic clinch rankings milestones as they break new ground at Australian Open
“Cirstea was ready to hit the second serve, and Osaka said ‘come on’ — that’s not right. I don’t think she does it on purpose; she doesn’t realise it.
“You can say ‘come on’ all you want, but keep it inside, do not verbalise it.”
Similar sentiments were echoed by three-time Grand Slam singles champion Davenport, who backed Osaka to learn from the controversy.
She commented: “Osaka’s 28 years of age, she’s played tennis for a long time, it’s just something you don’t really do.
“We all know Osaka doesn’t have a mean bone in her body, so I would be surprised if she continued with that behaviour.
“You can pump yourself by hitting your thigh [but] you can’t yell out in between serves. Basic tennis etiquette 101.”
Champion at the Australian Open in 2019 and 2021, former world No 1 Osaka will hope for a much less dramatic match when she returns to action inside Melbourne Park on Saturday.
After three-set wins over Antonia Ruzic in round one and then Cirstea in round two, the 16th seed will continue her campaign when she takes on Australian qualifier Maddison Inglis.
The last Australian woman standing in the draw this year, 28-year-old Inglis has beaten Kimberly Birrell and Laura Siegemund to reach the third round of a Grand Slam for just the second time in her career.
This contest will be the second and final night session match inside the Rod Laver Arena on Saturday night, with the winner facing either 31st seed Anna Kalinskaya or second seed Iga Swiatek in the fourth round.
Want more from Tennis365? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list for tennis coverage you can trust.
Read Next: Australian Open: Leading expert issues player health warning as extreme heat expected
