Former World No. 1 Kim Clijsters offered a calm but pointed take on the controversy surrounding Naomi Osaka at the Australian Open, making it clear that while the moment sparked outsized debate, it was ultimately more about etiquette than wrongdoing. Speaking on her podcast, Clijsters emphasized that Osaka’s vocal celebrations fell into a familiar gray area of tennis culture.
Kim Clijsters Frames the Naomi Osaka Controversy as an Etiquette Issue, Not Misconduct
The issue arose during Osaka’s second-round match against Sorana Cîrstea, a physically and emotionally demanding three-set battle that followed another grueling opener earlier in the week. As the match tightened, Cîrstea took issue with Osaka’s repeated “Come on” shouts, particularly when one came between her first and second serves in the deciding set.
Even though the chair umpire determined there was no hindrance since Osaka spoke before Cîrstea started her service motion, the call did little to ease the Romanian’s irritation. The tension carried through to the net, where the handshake was brief and strained, and Cîrstea told Osaka she had “no idea what fair play is.”
The situation intensified moments later during Osaka’s on-court interview, when she speculated that Cîrstea might have been “mad” because the match could mark her final appearance at the Australian Open ahead of her planned retirement at the end of 2026.
That comment sparked swift backlash, leading Osaka to say she was “confused” by the response and to acknowledge in her subsequent press conference that the remark was “disrespectful” and did not reflect her intent. Cîrstea later minimized the episode, describing it as a “five-second” exchange and reiterating that her priority was to enjoy the closing chapter of her career.
MORE: Naomi Osaka Issues Apology After ‘Disrespectful’ Australian Open Incident With Sorana Cirstea: ‘Not What I Do’
Clijsters addressed all of this directly on her ‘Love All’ podcast, laying out her perspective in her own words. “That’s the thing with tennis, right?” Clijsters said. “You have tennis etiquette, where there are certain things that you don’t do. And I think there are fans who are like, ‘Who cares? It’s a ‘come on.’ We hear it all the time.’”
Still, she explained why the timing mattered. “But there are certain things between first and second serves that you don’t really need to do,” she said. “You don’t have to be verbal.”
Drawing from her own playing days, Clijsters noted that there are other accepted ways to manage emotion and apply pressure without crossing that line. “You can slap your thigh, fist pump a little bit, jump around,” she said.
“I’ve done those things too, where you jump around to get your own nerves out of your body or maybe intimidate your opponent and show that you’re trying to step in for the second serve that might be coming up. So yeah, nothing too big of a drama to focus on.”
What Forced Osaka To Pull Out of the Australian Open?
Osaka’s Melbourne campaign ended on a disappointing note as the strain of consecutive three-set matches proved too much. Just hours before her third-round match against Australian qualifier Maddison Inglis, she announced her withdrawal from the tournament.
She cited a recurring left abdominal injury, explaining that while she pushed through the pain against Cîrstea, it worsened during her pre-match warm-up. The issue had already surfaced in the second round, when she briefly left the court and later took a medical timeout in the deciding set.
In an emotional social media post, Osaka shared that her body has changed since returning after pregnancy. The withdrawal marked the second straight year she exited the Australian Open due to abdominal problems.
Following the tournament, she also withdrew from the Qatar Open in Doha to focus on further medical tests, aiming to ensure she is fully recovered for the remainder of the 2026 season.