Naomi Osaka exits Indian Wells in tears after heckle from the crowd

Naomi Osaka was reduced to tears as she made an emotional exit from Indian Wells on Saturday night after being heckled by a spectator during her 6-0, 6-4 second-round loss to Veronika Kudermetova.

Former world No 1 Osaka, currently ranked 78th after her third-round exit at the Australian Open, was rocked early in the first set when someone in the crowd yelled, "Naomi, you suck." She was unable to convince the chair umpire to take action and at 0-3 down her emotions spilled over.

Osaka quickly pulled herself together and resumed the match, but even though she raised her game in the second set she could find no answer for Kudermetova, a finalist this year in the Melbourne Summer Set and at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.

Osaka put athlete mental health in the spotlight in a difficult 2021 in which she revealed she had suffered depression. But speaking on court after the match she said it wasn't that she found the comment so hurtful that she was upset, but because it reminded her of Venus and Serena Williams being heckled at Indian Wells in 2001.

That incident 21 years ago occurred after fellow player Elena Dementieva accused Richard Williams of manipulating the competition. As Venus and Richard took their seats to support Serena in the final against Kim Clijsters, the Indian Wells crowd booed their arrival and loudly cheered for Belgium's Clijsters throughout the match. Both Williams sister would boycott the tournament for the next 14 years.

"To be honest I feel like I've been heckled before it didn't really bother me," she said. "But, like, I've watched a video of Venus and Serena being heckled here.

"If you've never watched it you should watch it," she added, tearing up again before she congratulated