Jelena Djokovic, wife of tennis star Novak Djokovic, recently commented on the situation that unfolded during the Australian Open match between Naomi Osaka and Sorana Cirstea, according to reports. Her remarks caught attention on social media.
Elena seems to lean towards supporting Cirstea, who claimed that Osaka distracted her during serves in their match, which ended with a score of 6-3, 4-6, 6-2 in favor of Osaka during the second round.
“I’m a bit surprised this isn’t being called interference,” Elena, age 39, noted under a video showing the players disputing at the net after the match at Margaret Court Arena in Melbourne.
“When the audience is clapping and shouting between serves, the referee often instructs the crowd to keep quiet so the players can focus. The point’s not really over yet. Cirstea misses her first serve and is trying to concentrate on her second, but there’s this brief interruption. It’s also somewhat rude to applaud a missed first serve.”
“I just can’t believe the Chairman or Naomi thought that was acceptable! Did I miss some rule changes?” she added.
In another remark, Jelena stated:
“It’s really about the timing and manner. As a professional, she knows to avoid doing that between her opponent’s first and second serve.”
“If the intention was to provoke Cirstea, that’s a different matter. I don’t understand why Naomi seemed surprised by Cirstea’s reaction. The fans were cheering Naomi on, which is fine. But I haven’t seen her treat another player this way; it felt like there might have been a rule change or something.”
After the match, which marked Cirstea’s final Australian Open as she had announced her retirement plans, the two players shared a handshake and exchanged a few words in front of the umpire.
Apparently, Cirstea was irritated by Osaka’s encouragement during the game, where Osaka frequently cheered for herself with phrases like “go for it.”
“She seemed frustrated with all the ‘come on’ moments, but whatever,” Osaka reflected later. “I did my best, and she’s a fantastic player. It’s unfortunate this happened in what was likely her last Australian Open.”
When asked about her motivations, Osaka appeared emotional and said, “I guess she might’ve wanted me to tone it down… I’m sorry,” acknowledging Cirstea’s feelings.
“Honestly, no one’s ever complained about this before. The referee didn’t tell me I was in the wrong. He said I was fine. I thought we had handled it,” she explained.
Osaka also reiterated her apologies and expressed willingness to discuss it with Cirstea further.
“It seemed to be a pretty emotional moment for her. I’m sorry,” she said. “I think some of my initial comments on court were a bit rude. I don’t want to disrespect anyone. That’s not my role.”
Cirstea, on her part, played down the incident, calling it a “non-event” with Osaka.
“There was no drama. Just a quick exchange between two players who know each other well,” she said, keeping things private. “It stays between us.”
Osaka is set to face Madison Inglis in the third round of the Australian Open.
