The mockery and swearing at Japan’s Naomi Osaka angered the main athletes of the Indian Wells event, including Daniil Medvedev, the world number one in the men’s rankings.

The Russian, who suffered at the Australian Open with fans celebrating her mistake and dropping her points, commented that she understands her Japanese counterpart’s feelings and that she is not feeling well in Australia: “It’s difficult for everyone and I feel it for Naomi, I’m not feeling well in Australia. I understand that fans can say ‘what the heck, they make millions, they have to be ready for anything.’ At the same time, we are human, we all make mistakes and success. Sometimes we feel bad or good. So basically I can understand that Naomi doesn’t feel good when she hears him and her feelings.”

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In the loss to Veronika Kudermetova by 2 sets to 0 (6/0 and 6/4 partial), Naomi Osaka heard curses like “Naomi, you are terrible”, which made her stop the confrontation and cry early in the match. .

Denis Shapovalov, the Canadian who occupies 13th place in the men’s world rankings, has also come under fire from fans in the neighboring country. Shapovalov even asked the security guard to remove one of the supporters who offended the athletes. The Canadian said that the fan was over the line, but it wasn’t as polite as Naomi Osaka: “There’s no explanation for saying something like that. I can understand Naomi. I can’t speak for her, but I think she gave her everything on the shoe. your sneakers. When you go out onto the pitch and someone says ‘you’re terrible’ or something, it’s terrible. It’s terrible to hear or feel that way.”

A personal friend of Naomi Osaka, tennis player Gael Monfils also denied the actions taken by fans: “It’s never easy, that’s for sure. Everyone reacts differently. I feel sorry for her, it’s really hard to forget her at times and else she can”.