Tennis superstar Naomi Osaka has spoken out to apologise to her Australian Open opponent after the pair had heated post-match exchange.
Four-time Grand Slam winner Osaka booked her spot in the third round of the ongoing Australian Open with a win over Romania's Sorana Cirstea on Thursday.
After the American won the match 6-3 4-6 6-2 on Margaret Court Arena, she approached the net to meet her opponent and carry out the typical post-match formalities.
However, Cirstea made it clear that she wasn't happy with the 16th seed, as she offered only a brief and cold handshake before the pair were seen having a tense exchange.
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When speaking about the moemnt, Osaka hit back at her opponent with a brutal comment that she has now decided to apologise for.
During her post-match interview, Osaka was asked what it took for her to get through the surprisingly difficult match, and she didn't hold back.
Addressing Cirstea's comments at the net, Osaka said: "Apparently a lot of 'come ons' that she was angry about."
When asked to clarify if Cirstea had been annoyed at Osaka making noise while motivating herself between the Romanian's first and second serves, she added: "I think so, but like, she could have asked me. I'm sorry.
"She's a great player. I think this was her last Australian Open, so sorry she was mad about it."
Osaka's comments were met with backlash from fans online, with many claiming that the former world number one had taken Cirstea's frustrations too personally, as some labelled her reaction as 'classless'.
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But now, the Japanese star has spoken out to apologise to her opponent, admitting that her comments had gone too far.
Speaking in the post-match press conference, Osaka added: "If I’m being honest, I’ve never been involved in something like this before. I don’t know if we’re supposed to leave it on the court and be like ‘Hey.. how you doing?’
"I’m a little confused but I get that emotions were very high for her.
"I also want to apologise. I think the first couple things I said on the court were disrespectful. I don’t like disrespecting people. That’s not what I do. If she wants to talk about it, then yeah.
"When I’m pumping myself up, in my head, I’m not like ‘Okay, and now I’m gonna distract the other person.’ It’s purely for me.”
She later admitted that she could have conducted herself better in the on-court interview, while revealing she is yet to see Cirstea again.
Osaka faces Australia's Maddison Inglis in her third round match on Saturday.
Topics: Naomi Osaka, Australian Open, Tennis
Ben McCrum