The heat has been an issue at the Australian Open so far this week, but one of the hottest moments on Thursday was during a post-match handshake.
Naomi Osaka and Sorana Cîrstea shared a tense interaction at the net after their second-round match Down Under, which the Japanese star won 6-3, 4-6, 6-2.
Cîrstea’s handshake was extremely brief, which led to Osaka appearing to say, “What was that about?”
They further exchanged words at the umpire’s chair before Cîrstea walked away as Osaka chuckled while shaking her head and turning around to greet the crowd.
During the on-court post-match interview, the 28-year-old Osaka was asked about the exchange and said she thought her opponent was upset about Osaka verbally pumping herself up during the match.
“Apparently a lot of ‘come ons’ that she was angry about,” Osaka said, drawing a big reaction from the crowd.
“She’s a great player. I think this was her last Australian Open, so sorry she was mad about it,” Osaka added, garnering another round of reaction from those in attendance.
What Osaka said once the heat died down
Osaka, who is a four-time major winner and two-time Aussie Open champ, tried to defuse the situation during a press conference afterwards, saying that she meant no disrespect to Cirstea.
“I’m a little confused. I guess that emotions were very high for her. I also want to apologize,” Osaka said.
“I think the first couple of things that I said on the court were disrespectful. I don’t like disrespecting people. That’s not what I do.”
The 35-year-old Cîrstea also downplayed the incident following the match, saying there was “no drama” between the competitors.
Osaka turned heads with wild outfit
Osaka drew attention during her arrival to her first-round match against Antonia Ruzic of Croatia by wearing a wide-brim white hat, veil and white parasol.
Osaka was asked about the outfit after the match and what inspired it.
“It’s modelled after a jellyfish,” she said, noting Nike allowed her to design the outfit herself. “I’m just so grateful to be able to do the things that I love. It’s really beautiful.”
Osaka added that butterflies on her hat and parasol were inspired by her 2021 Australian Open win.
–With files from Eddie Chau