Naomi Osaka isn't playing nice at the Australian Open. She's in her unapologetic era.

"When Naomi Osaka walked away from a post-match handshake at the Australian Open on Thursday, the moment was visibly tense. What happened between her and her opponent, Romanian player Sorana Cîrstea? Was it someone's attitude? Was it poor sportsmanship? Was it even necessary? What didn't seem to get nearly as much attention: Osaka, 28, was intensely competing in one of the biggest tennis matches in the world. And she wasn't backing down."

"In a post-match interview, the moment got even more icy. When asked what it took to win, Osaka was unmoved and unapologetic. "Apparently a lot of 'come ons' that she was angry about," she said, in reference to how she was hyping herself up before serves. "She's a great player. I think this was her last Australian Open. Sorry she was mad about it.""

Naomi Osaka walked away from a post-match handshake at the Australian Open, creating a visibly tense scene with opponent Sorana Cîrstea. Osaka reached the third round for the first time since 2022 and remained steadfast in competition. In a post-match interview she was unmoved and unapologetic, saying, "Apparently a lot of 'come ons' that she was angry about... She's a great player. I think this was her last Australian Open. Sorry she was mad about it." The crowd reacted with gasps, cheers and boos. The episode highlighted societal expectations that women must limit visible emotion while competing and showed a refusal of that trade-off.

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