Jelena Djokovic criticizes Naomi Osaka’s conduct at Australian Open
Jelena Djokovic has entered the debate surrounding Naomi Osaka’s controversial conduct at the Australian Open, arguing the Japanese star was guilty of hindrance during her second-round clash with Sorana Cirstea, reports BritPanorama.
The wife of tennis great Novak Djokovic took to Instagram to question why match officials failed to act when Osaka shouted encouragement to herself between Cirstea’s first and second serves. “Hmm, I’m surprised that this is not being called hindrance,” Jelena wrote. “In between 2 serves, when crowds are applauding or shouting, the chair ump asks not to shout between serves as it is disturbing to the player.”
Her comments followed a tense moment in the match, where world No 41 Cirstea grew increasingly frustrated with Osaka’s vocal self-motivation, particularly when the 16th seed yelled “come on” as the Romanian prepared to deliver her second serve. This ultimately led to a confrontation at the net after the match, marked by a strained handshake that quickly attracted media attention.
In her on-court interview with the Margaret Court Arena crowd, Osaka offered a cutting response to the situation, saying, “Apparently, a lot of ‘come-ons’ that she was angry about, but whatever. I think this is her last Australian Open so, okay, sorry she’s mad about it.”
Upon reflection, Osaka adopted a more conciliatory tone during her post-match press conference, stating, “I also want to apologise. I think the first couple things that I said on the court was disrespectful. I don’t like disrespecting people. That’s not what I do.” She acknowledged being caught off guard by Cirstea’s reaction at the net, although she maintained that she had done nothing wrong in the eyes of match officials, explaining, “The umpire didn’t tell me, like, I was wrong. The umpire said I was fine.”
Jelena Djokovic’s assessment found some support from prominent figures in the sport. Tennis legend Martina Navratilova emphasized the importance of etiquette, remarking, “You cannot be talking out loud between first and second serves of your opponent.” Similarly, former world No 1 Lindsay Davenport criticized the behaviour as a violation of basic tennis rules, suggesting that Osaka would likely adjust her conduct in future matches.
This incident raises questions about the balance of competition and sportsmanship in high-stakes matches, highlighting how quickly emotions can lead to controversy in tennis.
