Naomi Osaka Breaks Down in Tears on Court After a Heckler Screams at Her

Tennis star Naomi Osaka broke down on the court Saturday night after a heckler screamed at her during a match in California.

Osaka, who skipped last year’s French Open and Wimbledon citing mental health concerns, stopped play early on in her second round match at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, CA after hearing the heckler shout “Naomi, you suck!”

The boorish fan was shouted down by the rest of the crowd, and Osaka asked the chair umpire to have the fan ejected. Osaka eventually continued and lost 6-0, 6-4 to Veronika Kudermetova.

Addressing the crowd after the match, an emotional Osaka explained why the moment got to her.

“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 [Williams] getting heckled here, and if you’ve never watched it, you should watch it.”

Osaka was referencing an infamous incident at Indian Wells in 2001 during which the Williams sisters were booed heavily by the crowd.

“I don’t know why, but it went into my head, and it got replayed a lot,” Osaka added.

In addition to bypassing last summer’s majors, Osaka took a three month break after the U.S. Open. She returned to competition in time for the Australian Open in January — a tournament which she won last year. She lost in the third round in this year’s event.

Watch above, via the Tennis Channel and ESPN.

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