Naomi Osaka copies Cristiano Ronaldo with controversial actions during press conference

Naomi Osaka copied Cristiano Ronaldo during a press conference with a move that risked upsetting US Open bosses. Osaka has enjoyed a stellar campaign in New York, reaching the quarter-finals while playing some excellent tennis. She earned big wins over Daria Kasatkina and reigning French Open champion Coco Gauff on her way to the last eight.

Osaka will go up against Karolina Muchova for a place in the semi-finals in the early hours of Wednesday morning. Ahead of the match, the 27-year-old fielded questions at a press conference as she reflected on her statement win over Gauff. However, one particular moment got people talking without Osaka even needing to say a word.

While a journalist was asking her a question, she reached over and grabbed an Evian water bottle that had been placed on the table. Osaka then placed it out of sight before carrying on with the press conference as normal.

Evian is one of the US Open's main sponsors and their bottles have been placed prominently throughout the tournament. It is not clear why Osaka felt the need to remove it from the table.

Her actions bore plenty of similarities to what Ronaldo did in a press conference during Euro 2020. The 40-year-old, who advocates a healthy diet, removed two Coca-Cola bottles before holding up a bottle of water and saying in Portuguese: "Water!"

The incident went viral and coincided with a huge financial blow for Coca-Cola, with their share prices dropping by nearly two per cent. The company, an official sponsor of UEFA, also saw their market value go down by nearly £4billion.

They later responded in a statement, saying: "Players are offered water, alongside Coca-Cola and Coca-Cola Zero Sugar, on arrival at our press conferences." A spokesperson added that people have different 'tastes and needs'.

Meanwhile, it remains to be seen if there will be any consequences as a result of Osaka removing the Evian bottle from her recent press conference.

While speaking to reporters, she revealed that she is making a conscious effort to improve her body language on the court and to enjoy herself more.

"I think, for me, the main thing I want to take away from this tournament is just smiling and having fun," said Osaka.

"I know in my first round I was too nervous to smile, and my match against Kasatkina was just really not smiley at all. Going into this match [against Gauff], I just wanted to be grateful. Yeah, I mean, she's one of the best players in the world.

"For me, honestly, I have the most fun when I play against the best players. I love when they hit amazing shots or they hit aces, because you know, that's how they won the tournaments that they won. I always see it as a challenge. Yeah, I like challenges."

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