Naomi Osaka has responded after Aryna Sabalenka suggested she didn’t make a very “smart decision” with her off-court affairs. Osaka co-founded management agency Evolve with longtime agent Stuart Duguid in 2022, and they later signed Aryna Sabalenka. But the former world No. 1 left the agency in December and returned to IMG, where she had been a client from 2016 to 2021, with Duguid representing her.

During both of their time at Evolve, Osaka and Sabalenka had faced off in some exhibition matches. But they enjoyed their second official tour-level meeting on Tuesday, where Sabalenka charged to a 6-2 6-4 victory in Indian Wells. It was their first match after Osaka left Evolve, and Sabalenka admitted she didn’t agree with her rival’s decision to walk away.

Asked whether it made a difference going into their fourth-round clash in the Desert, the world No. 1 said: “Not at all. I just feel sorry for her that she moved from Evolve back to IMG. I don’t think that’s a smart decision to do.”

Laughing, she added: “I’m happy, I’m super happy that now all time that they were kind of like, how you say, balancing between me and the Naomi, now I got most of the time. I’m happy with that.”

Sabalenka’s comments were later put to Osaka, who confirmed she was happy with her decision to return to super-agency IMG. The four-time Grand Slam champion took it on the chin, smiling and replying: “Was she laughing when she said it?

“Look, we’re two different people, like, for sure. I think her experiences aren’t the same as mine, and I wouldn’t have it any other way, you know. For me, I have always loved IMG. I have been treated really well there, and the people there are really kind to me. I would recommend to IMG to people. I guess she wouldn’t. But, yeah, I think we just have two very different experiences at two different places.”

While Osaka objected to Sabalenka’s thoughts on Evolve vs IMG, she agreed that the agency situation didn’t bother her during the match. “I mean, for me, I don’t think so, no,” she said.

“I obviously don’t have that experience, but I’m also the player that doesn’t look anywhere, you know, during the match. I don’t notice people, I don’t hear things. I’m kind of just focused on the tennis. I kind of feel like that’s how it should be.”

Osaka had beaten Sabalenka in their very first meeting, way back at the 2018 US Open, when they were both just 20 years old. The Japanese star went on to win her maiden Grand Slam title later that fortnight. Fast-forward seven-and-a-half years, and they are both now four-time Major champions who have reached the top of the rankings.

But that meeting in Flushing Meadows felt so far away for Osaka, who was a little caught off guard by Sabalenka when they finally faced off again. “It definitely felt like playing her for the first time. I think, like, obviously I could watch her on TV or whatever, but in reality, it’s very different,” she explained.

“I also feel like I was a little, like, flat-footed sometimes, because I expected the ball to be coming harder but then it didn’t. She grunts the same way for every ball. I was, like, ‘Oh my God, she tricked me’. No, it was a cool learning experience. I know we haven’t played for a long time, so I hope that we can play again sometime soon.”

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