Article by Roxana Fleşeru – Published Thursday, January 22, 2026, 2:28 p.m. / Updated Thursday, January 22, 2026, 2:39 p.m.
One of the topics of the day at the Australian Open was the match between Sorana Cîrstea and Naomi Osaka, which ended with a cold handshake at the net and some sharp words addressed by the Romanian.
At the press conferences that followed, the two protagonists had different attitudes towards what happened. Sorana didn't want to discuss that moment anymore, while Naomi answered questions about what happened.
What went through his mind when he saw Sorana's look and the way he greeted her? “I was like, hmm, interesting.”
The Japanese was also asked if she felt Sorana's frustration and if she thought she did something lacking in fair play. “Honestly, no. No one ever complained about it. Even the referee didn't tell me that I was wrong, he said that everything is fine. That was my opinion as well. At that point in the match I thought I was over it so…”, answered the holder of four Grand Slam trophies.
Naomi Osaka: “I want to apologize for what I said in the on-court interview”
Informed about the fact that the Romanian did not speak about this, Osaka was asked if she intends to talk to Sorana again. “To be honest, I've never been involved in anything like this before, so I don't know if we should leave it all on the field and say, 'Hi, how are you?'
Naomi Osaka on the icy handshake with Sorana Cirstea at the Australian Open
“What did it take to get through that one?”
Naomi: “Apparently a lot of come ons that she was angry about. Whatever. She's a great player. I think this was her last Australian Open. Sorry she was mad… pic.twitter.com/uCODMBfnKD
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) January 22, 2026
Yeah, I mean, if she wants to talk about it, then yeah. But when I'm energized, in my mind I'm not thinking, “Okay, now I'm going to distract the other person.” It's just for me, so… I didn't see her after the game. I was referring to the on-court interview, which I think I could have done a lot better, so…” Naomi Osaka explained.
However, it was noted that after Sorana showed her displeasure, her encouragement was more vocal. “I'm not the kind of person who reacts well to being disrespected on a regular basis. So yeah, I probably overreacted on the next few points. But it's draining me a lot. Now I'm really tired.” said the Japanese.
Naomi Osaka and the reason why she had a different look at the match with Sorana Cîrstea
At the end of the press conference, she was also asked about the fact that she no longer entered the field with a hat and umbrella, as she had done in the first round match.
“My simplified look is very extravagant for some people. I don't know. I just felt the need to change something. I think it's quite funny to keep everyone in suspense. I thought it was really nice that some people had veils over their hats. I was very grateful for that. It's pretty cool for me, because you never know what I'm going to pull out next time,” explained Osaka.
