Tennis Controversies of the Week: Ben Shelton and Naomi Osaka come under fire for their poor treatment of opponents, shocking death threats for Elina Svitolina & more

Ben Shelton and Naomi Osaka were two of the controversial figures from last week, as the tennis world navigated the National Bank Open (completed) and the Cincinnati Open (ongoing). After beating Flavio Cobolli in the fourth round in Montreal, Shelton engaged in an extended animated discussion with the Italian.

Meanwhile, fans blasted Osaka for her cold behavior towards 18-year-old Victoria Mboko, who beat the Japanese star in the Canadian Open final. Elina Svitolina decided to respond to the death threats she received after her quarterfinal loss to Osaka in Montreal.

During her first-round loss against Taylor Townsend at the Cincinnati Open, a frustrated Danielle Collins was seen shouting and crying after losing a couple of points. Lastly, Martina Navratilova's wife, Julia Lemigova, quashed rumors of cheating on the tennis legend with 'Below Deck' Star, Captain Sandy Yawn.

Let's have a closer look at these controversial moments from last week.

#1 Ben Shelton confronts Flavio Cobolli amid confusion

Ben Shelton and Flavio Cobolli after their 4th-round clash in Montreal

Ben Shelton's fighting spirit was on display as he beat Flavio Cobolli 6-4, 4-6, 7-6(1) in the Round of 16 at the Canadian Open. However, a heated argument between the two players after the match took center stage.

After failing to close out the match at 5-4 in the third set, Cobolli saved a match point to force a tie-break. A forehand winner from the fourth-seed American prompted the 13th-seed to make a gesture that Ben Shelton was furious with. As a result, he had a tense exchange with the Italian at the net after winning his 100th tour-level match.

The youngsters continued to argue even after shaking hands with the chair umpire. Flavio Cobolli claimed that his gesture had nothing to do with Ben Shelton, who believed the Italian. In his post-match press conference, Ben Shelton said:

"We talked about it. He said it wasn't towards me. We're good. We talked about it in the locker room, so I'm not going to answer any more questions about that."

#2 Fans criticize Naomi Osaka for mistreating Victoria Mboko

Victoria Mboko shocked the tennis world by winning the National Bank Open last week. The 18-year-old defeated the likes of Coco Gauff, Elena Rybakina, and Naomi Osaka to take home her maiden WTA 1000 title.

Mboko was up against her idol, Osaka, in the summit clash. While the four-time Grand Slam champion comfortably took the first set, the unseeded Canadian bounced back to win 2-6, 6-4, 6-1.

To everyone's surprise, Osaka chose not to congratulate the youngster during the presentation ceremony. She said:

"Thanks, I guess. I don’t really want to take up too much time. I’ll just say thank you to everyone. Thank you to my team, the ball kids, organizers, & volunteers. I hope you guys had a good night."

Fans shared their reactions as they called out Naomi Osaka for ignoring Victoria Mboko in her speech, especially since the Canadian looks up to her.

#3 Elina Svitolina receives death threats, hits back at critics

Elina Svitolina looked formidable during the Canadian Open, earning straight-set wins over Kamilla Rakhimova, Anna Kalinskaya, and former World No. 7 Amanda Anisimova. However, the eventual runner-up, Naomi Osaka, ended Svitolina's run in Montreal with a 6-2, 6-2 win in the quarterfinals.

The 10th-seed Ukrainian revealed receiving hateful messages and even death threats on social media from bettors. Svitolina decided to shame them publicly.

Elina Svitolina shared their usernames along with their derogatory messages on her Instagram stories. She also wrote a message for her critics.

"To all the bettors: I'm a mom before I'm an athlete. The way you talk to women - to mothers - is SHAMEFUL. If your moms saw your messages, they'd be disgusted," she wrote.

#4 Danielle Collins suffers emotional outburst during Cincinnati Open

Cincinnati Open 2025 - Day 2 - Source: Getty

American star Danielle Collins panicked big time during her Round-of-128 clash at the Cincinnati Open in Ohio last week. Her compatriot Taylor Townsend registered a 6-4, 7-6(2) win to eliminate the 2022 Australian Open runner-up.

Amid a string of early exits, a frustrated Collins had a breakdown during the tie-break against Townsend. As she lost the first two points, the 31-year-old experienced anger and helplessness. She screamed in the direction of her player’s box and started crying.

"Why is this happening to me?" Collins yelled.

Turns out, Danielle Collins was playing through injury. On Sunday, she wrote on her Instagram story:

“Anyone who has a herniated disc knows my pain. It’s no surprise the keyboard warriors can't understand or relate, as they've been too busy sitting on their a**es judging people who show up and try to give it their best even on days that suck."

#5 Martina Navratilova's wife Julia Lemigova addresses cheating rumors

Recently, there have been rumors about Lemigova cheating on the tennis legend. However, the former Russian model has rubbished them via social media.

Navratilova and Lemigova, along with actress Adriana De Moura, have appeared together on the reality TV show Real Housewives of Miami (RHOM). A recently leaked chat between De Moura and an unknown person shows the actress suggesting that Lemigova was ready to cheat on Navratilova.

“Did Julia ditch Guerdy [Abraira] because she wanted to hook up with [Captain] Sandy [Yawn] while Martina [Navratilova] wasn’t there?” someone asked De Moura.

She replied:

"Indeed."

Sandra Yawn has been on several shows, including Below Deck. An RHOM insider dismissed the rumors as 'ridiculous,' saying:

“Julia and Martina have been good friends with Sandy and her wife, Leah Shafer, for years. There is absolutely no truth to any rumor that Julia would be trying to hook up with Captain Sandy. Everyone knows it’s ridiculous and a total lie.”

Lemigova also shared a couple of stories on her Instagram to shoot down the rumors.