What do tennis players and their coaches make of the histrionics we see on court these days?

For example, at this year's Australian Open, Naomi Osaka defeated Sorana Cîrstea in a tense second-round match on January 22, which featured a frosty handshake and later an apology from Osaka for her on-court behavior. 

Cîrstea was apparently upset by Osaka’s loud "come on" celebrations, especially as 2026 is the Romanian's swansong on the women's circuit.

Under pressure, Cîrstea asked the chair umpire whether Osaka's repeated "come on" was allowed between points. The umpire said “this is allowed between serves,” prompting Cîrstea to shout "come on" too to pump herself up.

Osaka, who had troubles of her own, went on to win. But their less than sportsmanlike exchange during the handshake got the sportsworld buzzing, prompting an apology from Osaka.

"I don't like disrespecting people," the star told the post-match press conference. "That's not what I do."

For her part, Cîrstea let it slide, saying she didn't want to talk about the incident any further.

"It was just a five-second exchange between two players that have been on a tour for a long time. It stays between us," Cirstea, 35, said.

Sportsmanship is the driving force of any sport. Drive and passion work as one to help create the ruthless swag that any athlete possesses, but it also creates pressure that we ordinary mortals can barely imagine. So where do we draw the line?

Blocking it out

CSU men’s tennis coach Brian Etzkin said in a case like this, he would “involve the officials if necessary, but for the most part, I’ll tell my players to block it out. I will go over and have a conversation with my players if necessary.”

From the mercurial antics of the likes of John McEnroe and Ilie Nastase in tennis, to the outrageous behavior of some players in less gentlemenly sports, we've become used to the bad boy, and now bad girl behavior of so many players. But can we blame them? After all, it's we the audience who have turned so much sport into gladiatorial combat with our demands for ever more excitement.

And, in the end, the players often show us how wrong we are. When Serena Williams had a meltdown over accusations of cheating at the 2018 U.S. Open, prompting one cartoonist to portray her as a baby having a tantrum, Williams responded with grace: “I don’t cheat to win, I’d rather lose.”

That poise, which is really all there is to say, was echoed by CSU tennis captain Carl Gedlitschka. 

“Tennis has some unwritten rules," Gedlitschka said. "But what I try to do is focus on myself and do whatever I can to keep the focus on winning, even if that means taking a second to breathe and refocus on what’s important.”

And what's important should not be winning at any cost, but winning AND losing with grace, confidence and style. And if the likes of Osaka and Williams can do that. Then to focus on a petty moment is to miss what it means to be a pro.