“Watch a different sport”: Naomi Osaka hits back at Tsitsipas’ ex over grunting criticism

Naomi Osaka’s 2026 Australian Open campaign drew attention for reasons that extended beyond her results, and this time the Japanese player responded forcefully to comments from Theodora Peatalas – former girlfriend of Stefanos Tsitsipas – who in a recent podcast criticised the grunts of the four-time Grand Slam champion.

The former world No. 1 arrived in Melbourne with a striking pre-match outfit that quickly became a talking point, reinforcing her status as one of the sport’s most visible figures. Yet the conversation shifted days later, when an on-court confrontation overshadowed her second-round exit.

Osaka faced Romania’s Sorana Cirstea in the second round, a match that included several emotional exchanges and audible celebrations from the Japanese player during key points. Her repeated shouts of “Come on!” during decisive rallies were perceived negatively by her opponent, leading to a tense moment after the handshake.

“‘You have been playing on the tour for so long, you have no idea what fair play is,’” Cirstea told Osaka at the net, while the Japanese player shortly afterwards explained in the on-court interview: “‘Apparently a lot of ‘come ons’ that she was angry about.’”

“I think so, but like, she could have asked me. I’m sorry,” the former world No. 1 added. “She’s a great player. I think this was her last Australian Open, so sorry she was mad about it.”

Cirstea later clarified that the comments at the net stayed there and that there is no drama between them. “It was just a five-second exchange between two players that have been on tour for a long time. It stays between us,” the Romanian commented. “Look, this is my last Australian Open. I have been playing for 20 years. There is more going on than a five-second discussion at the end that I had with Naomi.”

More than three weeks after the tension between Osaka and Cirstea, Stefanos Tsitsipas’ former girlfriend, Theodora Peatalas, commented on the recent Australian Open on the podcast What’s the Call?, where she left criticism directed at the four-time major champion following her victory over Cirstea.

“Naomi Osaka’s match, there was some beef. Naomi started, not screaming, but like ‘c’mon, c’mon’; where she hits the side of her leg, before she serves or when she gets ready for a point and she tells herself ‘come on, come on’. But she was being quite vocal about it in this instance. I don’t think it’s black or white, and I do find it quite annoying when players amp themselves up in a bit of a performative way almost.

I don’t know, could it be called gamesmanship, maybe,” she added. “I feel like it even also falls in the same vein, even though this doesn’t happen during the point, but when players put their fingers to their ears, it just takes me out, I’m like ‘what are you doing?’”

The controversy expanded when Osaka responded to remarks made on the tennis podcast What’s the Call? – which had recently featured Stefanos Tsitsipas. The four-time Grand Slam champion left a reply to Peatalas’ clip: “I laugh when people that don’t know anything about tennis start a podcast about tennis. What do you mean grunting is unsportsmanlike and it gives you the ick 😭? Watch a different sport lol.”

This was not the first time Osaka’s name intersected with Tsitsipas in a public debate. In 2022, the Greek proposed that women’s Grand Slam matches should adopt a best-of-five-set format, mirroring the men’s game. Osaka dismissed the idea at the time, framing it as an external opinion on the women’s tour.

Her response then was unequivocal: “Does he want to play nine sets? If he wants my matches to last longer, I also want his to be longer. If we changed the format, the way of training would also change and I think it would take a long time to come into effect on the tour. A man is talking about our sport, so I don’t think his idea is going to be considered.”

The Japanese player has not competed since her victory over Cirstea, after suffering an abdominal injury that forced her to withdraw from the tournament before stepping onto the court for the third round. Her return had been expected in the Middle East swing, but she consecutively withdrew from the Abu Dhabi Open, then the Qatar Open, and recently from the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships – missing all action throughout February.

The world No. 16 is scheduled to return to the courts at the upcoming Indian Wells, starting on March 2, where she will be the 16th seed. A year ago, she also did not compete throughout February – so she is not defending points this month – while her participation at Indian Wells ended early after she was eliminated in the first round by Camila Osorio.