Osaka shares positive message after being heckled at Indian Wells

Naomi Osaka seems to have landed on both feet after a heckling incident earlier this week brought the former World No.1 to tears during her match at the BNP Paribas Open Indian Wells tournament.

The Japanese superstar captured her maiden WTA 1000 title in Indian Wells four years ago, and fought past 2017 US Open champion Sloane Stephens in the first round of this year's event. However, the four-time Grand Slam champion was heckled by a rude fan during her second round match against Veronika Kudermetova, which led to Osaka being visibly upset and coming close to tears as she asked the umpire to remove the heckler from the stands.

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Despite losing the match and leaving the match in tears after a brief message to the crowd, Osaka looks to have put the incident behind her as she took to social media to share a strong message.

"Very proud of myself for reaching a point in my life that despite the lows, I would still rather be myself than anyone else" she said in a tweet.

Osaka is scheduled to compete at the Miami Open after being granted a wildcard into the tournament. The WTA 1000 event runs from March 21-April 3, 2002.