Naomi Osaka has responded sharply to renewed criticism of her on-court behaviour following comments made on a tennis podcast by Theodora Peatalas, the former partner of Stefanos Tsitsipas. The discussion traces back to the 2026 Australian Open, where Osaka’s second round match against Sorana Cirstea featured visible emotion and vocal celebrations from the four-time Grand Slam champion. After the match, a brief exchange at the net drew attention, though Cirstea later downplayed the moment. “It was just a five-second exchange between two players that have been on tour for a long time,” Cirstea said. “It stays between us.” Weeks later, the moment resurfaced when Peatalas discussed Osaka’s grunting and self encouragement on the podcast What’s the Call?, suggesting it felt performative and b...