Naomi Osaka has finally issued an apology after receiving plenty of backlash following the Canadian Open final.
Having stormed into a one-set lead, the four-time Grand Slam champion seemed destined to brush aside her teenage opponent to claim her first title since returning to tennis.
Alas, she could not have accounted for the remarkable spirit of Victoria Mboko, who roared back to win in three hard-fought sets.
Whilst the Canadian crowd rejoiced in a new hometown hero, it was Naomi Osaka who sadly stole the headlines for her post-match on-court speech.
Naomi Osaka breaks silence after Canadian Open final speech controversy
Although it may have only been a small, inconsequential moment, naturally, many took it and ran.
After all, in what was an extremely brief and rushed moment on the microphone, Osaka failed to congratulate Mboko on her title win.
It was a harmless reaction from the 27-year-old, who was clearly emotional and wanted her speech to be over with.
Alas, she has almost been forced to apologise given the backlash, taking to Threads to write: “Thanks Montreal, it’s been a really great run. I also want to say sorry and congratulations to Victoria. You played a great match and have an amazing career ahead! I realize I didn’t congratulate you on the court.
“Honestly I was in a daze and I was so focused on not having the same speech as IW 2018 finals or the Jenny/Jennifer situation that I tried to make my speech as short as possible. Thanks everyone for the week, see you in NY.”
Osaka explained why she didn’t congratulate Mboko in her post-match press conference, but it’s nice to see her give the 18-year-old her flowers at last.
Naomi Osaka will surely be a contender for the US Open
Although it might seem ridiculous to say, given how volatile her form has been throughout 2025, Osaka must surely be in the conversation to progress deep at the US Open.
After all, she will head to the event as likely the most successful active champion on the WTA, alongside Aryna Sabalenka.
Photo by TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP via Getty Images
That kind of pedigree cannot be ignored, especially given how wide-open the women’s draw has been at times in the last few years.
Not only that, but the US Open in particular has seen so many new winners made, with no woman retaining the title since Serena Williams in 2014.
Osaka struggled in Washington, but has returned to form with a bang. It will be interesting to see how she translates this newfound form to Cincinnati.
AloJapan.com