Last updated on .From the section Tennis
Naomi Osaka was brought to tears by a heckler during her defeat by Veronika Kudermetova at Indian Wells.
The four-time Grand Slam winner was yelled at by someone in the crowd in the first set.
Since taking a break in September, Osaka has played three events.
After the match, Osaka said it reminded her of when Venus and Serena were heckled at the same tournament.
While holding back tears, Japan's Osaka said that he had been heckled before and it didn't bother him.
Being heckled here. If you have never watched the video of Venus and Serena getting heckled, you should. I don't know why, but it went into my head and got replayed a lot.
The Williams sisters boycotted Indian Wells for 14 years.
The crowd jeered when Venus and her father took their seats to watch Serena win the final against Kim Clijsters. Serena was booed throughout the match.
Serena went on to win the title and embraced Venus and her father, with Richard later saying he was the target of racial abuse.
In an interview in 2021, Serena said she was still traumatised by the incident two decades later.
Osaka was knocked out of the Indian Wells tournament in the second round, the earliest she has been knocked out of a tournament since returning from a break.
She took a break after withdrawing from the French Open due to controversy over her wish not to speak to the media after matches.
She lit the flame at the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics after missing Wimbledon.
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