Naomi Osaka came under fire after her runner-up speech at the 2025 Montreal Open, where she didn’t congratulate 18-year-old Canadian Victoria Mboko following a 2-6, 6-4, 6-1 defeat. Mboko, ranked No.85 and playing as a wildcard, stunned the tennis world by winning her first WTA title, beating four Grand Slam champions — Sofia Kenin, Elena Rybakina, Coco Gauff and Osaka.
Osaka thanked the crowd and organisers but left out Mboko’s name, sparking criticism from fans and pundits. Some called her rude and entitled. Former Serena Williams coach Rennae Stubbs also voiced disappointment, pointing out that Osaka had asked for crowd support in her semifinal but failed to acknowledge Mboko’s triumph.
Fans also criticised Osaka for not congratulating Mboko, who had been ranked outside the top 300 at the start of the year. One fan said Osaka should retire, while others slammed her for poor sportsmanship.
‘I was in a daze’
Later, Osaka said she was “in a daze” and “completely forgot” to mention Mboko, adding that she had tried to keep her speech short to avoid controversies like the 2018 US Open final, when her win was overshadowed by drama involving Serena Williams.
“Thank you Montreal, it’s been a great ride. I also want to say sorry and congratulate Victoria. You played a great match and have an incredible career ahead of you! I realize I didn’t congratulate you on the court,” Osaka said.
Naomi Osaka issues an apology to Victoria Mboko for forgetting to congratulate her during the trophy ceremony in Montreal:
“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 pic.twitter.com/XaijbcvJY1— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) August 8, 2025
“Honestly, I was in a daze and so focused on not having the same speech as the 2018 Indian Wells finals (where she acted very nervous) or the Jenny/Jennifer situation (when she asked Jennifer Brady what she preferred to be called after defeating her in the 2021 Australian Open final) that I tried to keep my speech as short as possible. Thanks everyone for the week, see you in New York,” Osaka added.
Despite the criticism, Mboko stayed gracious, saying, “It’s all love,” and appeared unfazed. After her stupendous triumph, Mboko also jumped 61 places to now being the World No.24, which should be morale-boosting with the US Open coming up. Both Mboko and Osaka, in the meantime, withdrew from the Cincinnati Masters.
– Ends
Published By:
sabyasachi chowdhury
Published On:
Aug 9, 2025
AloJapan.com