Naomi Osaka’s 'come on' ignites icy tension with Sorana Cîrstea at Australian Open

Tennis might dress itself up as a polite little sport, but don’t be fooled. Under the hushed clapping and “please be respectful” announcements, it is pure chaos in athleisure.

That moment came during Naomi Osaka’s second-round clash with Romanian player Sorana Cîrstea. As Cîrstea prepared for her second serve, Osaka, 28, audibly encouraged herself with a “come on”, a move that immediately set her opponent off. 

Clearly unimpressed by motivational speaking not listed on the scorecard, Cîrstea turned to the umpire and asked, “Is this OK?”, as if Osaka had just delivered a TED Talk mid-rally.

When the official calmly said, “You’re not serving yet, so this is not a hindrance to you,” the umpire explained, adding that Osaka’s comment was within the rules. 

Cîrstea doubled down, repeating the words and asking, “Can I go, ‘come on’, and talk?” The umpire, firmly in their this is not that deep era, ruled that it was allowed and told her to carry on.

And play on they did.

Osaka went on to win the match 6-3, 4-6, 6-2, proving once again that she can multitask, winning Grand Slams and starring in viral sports moments. But if anyone thought the drama ended with match point, think again.

At the net, the handshake was icy. Like, Antarctica called, it wants its chill back, icy. Cameras caught Osaka saying something, followed by a brief but tense exchange near the umpire’s chair. Tennis Twitter immediately went into detective mode.

In her post-match interview, Osaka didn’t dodge the moment. When asked what it took to beat Cîrstea, she added: “Apparently a lot of ‘come ons’ that she was angry about,” according to the BBC."

The crowd loved it. The shade was light, but the timing was on point.

Osaka later softened the tone, saying Cîrstea could have spoken to her directly and apologised if her comments upset her.

She even added that Cîrstea is a great player and hinted this could be her last Australian Open, a remark that earned loud reactions from the crowd and, later, some regret.

At her press conference, Osaka fully owned it. She apologised for any disrespect, admitted emotions were high, and made it clear that throwing shade isn’t her brand.

At the end of the day, Osaka walked off the court with the win, Cîrstea walked off with… whatever that icy glare counts as, and the rest of us are just here taking notes on how a single “come on” can apparently start a minor international incident.