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Asharq Al-Awsat
Asharq Al-Awsat
Sport
Asharq Al-Awsat

Players Need to Build Resilience to Deal with Hecklers, Says Nadal

Spain's Rafael Nadal with the Australian Open trophy during a press conference at the Rafa Nadal Academy, Mallorca, Spain, February 2, 2022. (Reuters)

Australian Open champion Rafa Nadal said he felt sorry for Naomi Osaka after she was rattled by a heckler during her second-round loss on Saturday night at Indian Wells, but added that tennis players needed to be ready to deal with adversities.

Osaka, who sparked a conversation about mental health in sports last year with her withdrawal from the French Open, was thrown off her game and began to cry after a person screamed, "Naomi, you suck!" early on in her 6-0 6-4 loss to Veronika Kudermetova.

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