Australian Open Winner Naomi Osaka Apologizes, Says She Wasn’t Trolling Her Runner-up

UPDATE: Apparently, Naomi Osaka suffered from a foot-in-mouth fault.

Osaka took to social media today to clear up confusion over her acceptance speech after winning the Australian Open. In the moment, she called her runner-up Jennifer Brady “Jennifer” despite being told moments before that her preferred form of address was “Jenny.”

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“Omg no,” Osaka wrote on Twitter with two crying emojis. “I promise you my mind thought I called her Jenny in that moment and I was so confused why the crowd was laughing. I’m so sorry.”

Watch: Naomi Osaka - I don’t think you can win a grand slam and not be confident in yourself

EARLIER: Australian Open winner Naomi Osaka got the name game wrong.

After Osaka’s match with runner-up Jennifer Brady, Osaka had a gaffe during her acceptance speech. The unforced error was viewed in some quarters as a tweak of her opponent.

Osaka defeated Brady 6-4 6-3 to win her second Australian Open title and fourth Grand Slam. During her acceptance speech, she turned to Brady and asked, “Do you like to be called Jenny or Jennifer?”

Brady responded clearly. “Jenny.”

Osaka didn’t miss a beat. “Firstly, I want to congratulate Jennifer.”

The 23-year-old Osaka, a Japan native, went on to praise Brady. But the damage was done, as the Twitter outrage mob took turns bashing away. So far, the tally appears split between rudeness, a mistake in the moment, and trolling.

Watch and decide for yourself.

I love how Naomi Osaka politely asked Jennifer Brady if she preferred to be called "Jennifer" or "Jenny," then completely ignored what she said ??pic.twitter.com/b8UzciMQnF— Michael Lee (@MrMichaelLee) February 20, 2021

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