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https://scmp.com/sport/tennis/article/2180289/naomi-osaka-loves-aussie-aussie-aussie-oi-oi-oi-chant-she-also-feels Tennis
Naomi Osaka loves ‘Aussie! Aussie! Aussie! Oi! Oi! Oi!’ chant; she also feels old at 21
- Japanese star thanks the Brisbane crowd even though they cheered for home hero Aiava
- She says she feels old compared to her opponent, who is only 18
Naomi Osaka in action against Australia’s Destanee Aiava in Brisbane. Photo: EPA
Japan’s Naomi Osaka charmed the Brisbane fans who supported her opponent by praising the signature chant Australian fans have made famous the world over and by saying she feels old at 21.
After beating Australia’s Destanee Aiava 6-3, 6-2 in the second round of the Brisbane International, the US Open champion was happy to win and thanked the crowd, even though they were cheering against her.
“I love coming back here and unfortunately I had to play an Australian player. I don’t know, I just love it when you guys say ‘Aussie, Aussie, Aussie, Oi, Oi, Oi!” Osaka said in an on-court interview, which led to a big cheer from the fans.”
Watch different versions of “Aussie! Aussie! Aussie!”
The chant is an Australian version of the “Oggie! Oggie! Oggie!” cheer used often by British fans for many decades and is usually performed by one person shouting “Aussie, Aussie, Aussie!” and others chiming in with “Oi, Oi Oi!”.
After two of these, it ends with “Aussie”... “Oi!’, “Aussie!” ... “Oi!”, “Aussie, Aussie, Aussie!” ... “Oi, Oi Oi!” In the English version, the fans often add a flourish by shouting “Ichi waa waa, Ooh!”
Even the late International Olympic Committee president, Spain’s Juan Antonio Samaranch, could not resist at the closing ceremony for the 2000 Olympics in Sydney – where the chant gained international fame.
"I really love when you guys say, 'Aussie Aussie Aussie, oi oi oi!"@Naomi_Osaka_ speaks to the Brisbane crowd...and she's feeling her age now she's 21!
大坂なおみ#BrisbaneTennis pic.twitter.com/JqGcNV0Sw6— WTA (@WTA) January 1, 2019
“What can I say? Maybe, with my Spanish accent,” Samaranch said, before launching into: “Aussie! Aussie! Aussie!”. To which the whole stadium responded, as expected, with a thundering: “Oi! Oi! Oi!”.
Osaka, meanwhile, thanked the crowd and told a surprised interviewer that she felt old compared to the 18-year-old Aiava.
“For me, I just spent a lot of time in the off-season training,” she said. “And I really love matches more than practice so I’m happy to come back. But today I was really nervous so I’m just really happy that I could win.
“I’m old, I’m 21 now,” she added when the interviewer mistook her age for 20. “For real, I was looking at her [Aiava] age and she’s like only 18, and I was like oh my god, I’m so old.”