Andy Roddick has leapt to the defence of Naomi Osaka after she was criticised for not mentioning Victoria Mboko in her post-match speech following the final.
The Japanese player lost 6-2, 4-6, 1-6 to Mboko but failed to praise her opponent when she stepped up to the mic post-match.
In a speech that lasted just 45 words, Osaka forgot to mention Mboko who has previously said Osaka was a role model for her.
“Thanks, I guess. I don’t really want to take up too much time,” Osaka said. “I’ll just say thank you to everyone. Thank you to my team, the ball kids, organisers, and volunteers. I hope you guys had a good night.”
The 27-year-old later admitted she “forgot to congratulate her on the court” but not before the knives were out.
For Roddick, he said that was no big deal and suggested other sports do not put losing finalists on front of the microphone so quickly.
“She didn’t really want to expand a lot in the post-match speeches,” he said on his Served podcast.
“I see people are saying ‘she should’ve said…’, I don’t know, we’re the only sport that is forced to talk after we lose.
“Obviously, we’re not our best selves in that situation, and if people are, great, if they’re not, they’re not.
“I would rather her be friendly with Vicky Mboko all the time than at Grandstand in front of a microphone.
“I don’t know if either is true, but Naomi [Osaka] is generally well-liked, polite, everyone likes her, and she doesn’t give a lot sometimes when she’s not ready to give a lot, and that’s fine.”
Roddick also raised the example of Michael Jordan and said that he would be praised for being annoyed, rather than criticised like Osaka has been in some corners.
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“No other sport do you have to go talk immediately in front of everyone and have the expectations to not only be courteous but to give everyone their flowers in an appropriate way. I don’t know, people are allowed to be p——,” said Roddick.
“If Michael Jordan did that, they’d be like ‘He’s such a competitor, he can’t get over it’.
“I used to actually use that example with Serena [Williams] all the time; she would go to press sometimes and be really salty.
“I’m like, if that’s Jordan, everyone is celebrating his saltiness, but when it’s Serena, everyone’s writing articles about how salty she is, I don’t know.. It’s fine.”
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