Tennis ace Osaka dismisses equal pay claim by male star

Former Grand Slam title winner Naomi Osaka has gone beyond the third round of a tournament for the first time in 2022 by reaching the quarterfinals of the Miami Open – and the Japanese superstar discussed Stefano Tsitsipas, equal pay and Nick Kyrgios after her victory.

Former world number one Osaka is yet to drop a set in Miami following a troubling end to her campaign at Indian Wells in California, where she was reduced to tears by a heckler as she lost in straight sets to Russian Veronika Kudermetova.

The record-setting earner among female athletes called Tsitsipas "so funny" when a reporter told her that he had mentioned the prospect of women potentially playing as many sets as men in return for equal prize money.

WTA players currently contest best-of-three matches, while men need to win three sets in order to secure victory at major tournaments.

"Does he want to play nine sets?" the world number 77 asked after breezing past US rival Alison Riske.

"If he tries to extend mine, I'm going to extend his. I don't know. I feel like that would change the structure of tennis. People will start doing things differently in the gym and stuff like that.

"It will probably also take a very long time to be implemented – but also, a man is talking about a women's sport, so I don't think his idea is going to go through.

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"I don't want to be rude. I'm really trying to structure this in a way that's not off-putting, but I think it's like decades of hard work [for equality].

"Up until now, women have been putting in the work. It's not just like, 'Oh, it's come out of nowhere that you get paid the same.'

"The history of the WTA has been leading them into advocating for equal pay with Billie Jean King, Venus [Williams], Serena [Williams], all that.

"I also think ticket sales are important. I think the WTA has really good up-and-comers.

"The number one player in the world, Iga [Swiatek], is 20, right? I don't know. It's who people find interesting. Coco [Gauff] is amazing as well.

"I can't give a PowerPoint presentation on [the] question but I feel like the revenue that you generate, like ticket sales, is very important, and I think the WTA is doing a really good job at that."

Osaka hit the headlines last year after being threatened with punishment by all four Grand Slam organizers because she boycotted media duties at the French Open.

The social media sensation subsequently left the tournament to concentrate on her mental health and took a break from the sport later in 2021.

"I'm not sure if it's anything I've done [less than] the experiences in my life," she said when asked about her composed displays at her latest tournament.

"In Australia [Grand Slam in January], I felt like I was becoming more calm, [although] granted, in my last match there [a third-round defeat to Amanda Anisimova] I was completely frazzled.

"Going into Indian Wells, my intention was to be pretty chilled. Now that I'm here, no matter what happens, I won't let anything change my behavior and the way I put out energy into the world, if that makes sense.

"Clearly I've come here to do well but, if that doesn't happen, I just want people to remember me for being a fighter."

Notoriously hot-tempered men's player Nick Kyrgios has reached the round of 16 in Miami and the Australian voiced his admiration for Osaka.

"Probably after the US Open or something, he reached out," she revealed. "It's been very interesting to watch him, just because I could never tell what his actual personality was like.

"I would say he's a nice guy, very polite and we have talked about stuff like that – but not really deeply, kind of at a more surface level.

"When I was coming on tour and watching him – because he's been on tour long enough – I kind of thought he was like my brother; we kind of look the same, to me.

"I also felt that his behavior – I'm not trying to be offensive, I hope he doesn't read it this way – was of someone who couldn't handle the pressure, who was overwhelmed. I relate to that feeling a lot but I think we channel it in different ways.

"He also has a lot of responsibility because even now, coming to the practice courts, he has a lot of kids watching him. I know that he loves that but it's a bit of a double-sided coin."

Osaka is in action on Wednesday against Danielle Collins, who lost to Ashleigh Barty in the Australian Open final. Kyrgios will play Jannik Sinner next.