Rafael Nadal Comments On Naomi Osaka’s Tears Over Heckling

Rafael Nadal has given his opinion on Naomi Osaka being heckled following her exit from Indian Wells. 

Osaka was reduced to tears after an onlooker shouted “Naomi, you suck!” from the stands.

NBC Sport reported that Osaka wanted to address the crowd, but the umpire denied her request.

“I just want to say something. I’m not going to curse. I don’t curse. It’s just weighing on my heart,” she told the umpire.

Nadal – who is also competing at Indian Wells – says he feels “terrible” about what happened to Osaka, but believes players should be prepared for it.

“Even if it is terrible to hear it, we need to be prepared for it,” he said. “We need to resist these kind of issues that can happen when you are exposed to the people.

“[Just] as we like it a lot when people are supporting, when something like this happens, we need to accept it and move forward.”

Nadal continues: “The easy answer for me is that I feel terrible about what happened, that it should never happen again. But, in the real world, that happens, you know? We have, in my opinion, a great life.”

“We are very lucky people that we’re about to enjoy amazing experiences because of our life, because we are tennis players. We make money.”

Nadal faces Nick Kyrgios in the quarter-finals on Thursday evening.

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