Tennis news today: Reilly Opelka applauds Novak Djokovic for being a "man of principle", Naomi Osaka reduced to tears after heckling incident in Indian Wells | 14 March 2022
There was plenty of drama at the ongoing BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells on Saturday. A spectator's heckling affected Naomi Osaka's game and left her in tears. Amanda Anisimova retired from her second-round match after failing to close it out and left the court rather hastily.
Teenagers Emma Raducanu and Coco Gauff lost in Indian Wells as well, while Reilly Opelka showered Novak Djokovic with praise. Here's a round-up of the biggest headlines of the day.
Reilly Opelka applauds Novak Djokovic for being a principled man
During his appearance on Patrick McEnroe's podcast, "Holding Court," Opelka complimented Djokovic on standing his ground and fighting for what's right for other players.He applauded the Serb's efforts to make things better for his fellow tennis players.
Opelka stated that he respects Djokovic a lot because of this and called him a "man of principles." While the former World No. 1 remains on the sidelines for now, Opelka kicked off his Indian Wells campaign with a straight sets win over Lorenzo Musetti.
"The fact that [Novak Djokovic] is still willing to fight for other players is [remarkable]. It is clearly out of his best interest to do so. He really is a man of principle and we have to respect that. One thing you can never call him is a hypocrite," Opelka said. "He says what he believes in. I really enjoy spending time with him when I have [got the opportunity to] chat with him. I respect him for a lot of reasons."
Naomi Osaka's Indian Wells challenge ends in tears
Just a few minutes into her second-round match against Veronika Kudermetova in Indian Wells, Naomi Osaka was heckled by a person in the crowd. She couldn't shake off the rude comment and was in tears soon enough. The four-time Grand Slam champion then asked the chair umpire to give her the mic so she could directly address the person.
Osaka's request was denied following which the tournament supervisor came out to console the 24-year-old. She resumed playing after 15 minutes, but wasn't at her best as she lost the set 6-0. While the Japanese played a bit better in the next set, she lost the match 6-0, 6-4.
Osaka then got an opportunity to address the crowd after the match was over and thanked those who supported her. She also stated that she was reminded of the incident when the Williams sisters were subjected to something similar in 2001 in Indian Wells.
The Williams sisters were subject to several boorish and racist comments from the crowd, leading to the duo boycotting the tournament for over a decade.
"I've been heckled before and it didn't really bother me," Osaka said while holding back tears. "But being heckled here. I've watched video of Venus and Serena get heckled here and if you've never watched it, you should watch it. And I don't know why, but it went into my head and got replayed a lot."I just want to say thank you and congratulations."
Emma Raducanu suffers yet another early exit
2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu became the prospective next big thing in tennis following her triumph in New York. However, her results since then haven't lived up to the mark. At the Indian Wells Open, she fought hard, but went down to Petra Martic in three sets in the third round.
Raducanu's record for the year now stands at 2-4. Since her US Open victory, she has won a total of four matches.
Amanda Anisimova explains her abrupt retirement from her second-round match
Amanda Anisimova was in control for the most part during her second-round clash with Leylah Fernandez at the Indian Wells Open. The American was up 6-2, 5-4, 40-0, but Fernandez clawed her way back into the match and won the second set tie-break 7-0.
Anisimova broke down into tears after this and soon left the court, effectively retiring after not returning to court. The chair umpire called after her and asked her to wait until the physio arrived, but the American was gone by then.
In a since deleted post, Anisimova explained her abrupt retirement. She stated that she has been unwell for the last few days and wanted to finish the match, but couldn't go through with it as she didn't want to risk her health.
Birthday girl Coco Gauff loses to Simona Halep
Coco Gauff turned 18 on Sunday, but her birthday ended on a sour note as she lost 6-3, 6-4 to former World No. 1 Simona Halep. The third-round clash between them was a highly anticipated affair and the duo put on a show for the crowd. However, the two-time Grand Slam winner was a step ahead of Gauff throughout the contest.
The teenager's season has been rather inconsistent so far, making early exits from tournaments followed by a deep run at the next.