Naomi Osaka’s reputation regarding her behavior as an opponent is a bit complex and has varied. On one side, she’s known for moments of graciousness and humility, particularly towards her younger opponents; she has also faced criticisms for perceived poor sportsmanship, especially after losses. Some view her as humble and self-deprecating, while others see her as lacking grace in defeat. Recently, the 27-year-old tennis star reached her first WTA 1000 final since the 2022 Miami Open, but sadly for Osaka, she was deprived of a title triumph by the 18-year-old Canadian Victoria Mboko. But more than her three-set defeat, Osaka’s post-match reaction came under a lot of scrutiny.
The final in Montreal started pretty well for Naomi Osaka as she took the first set by 6-2, but Mboko came back strong in the next two sets to seal the match by 2-6,6-4,6-1. But after the match, surprisingly, Osaka didn’t acknowledge the teenager’s incredible effort in her runners-up speech. When giving a runner-up speech, it’s expected that players congratulate each other and their teams before thanking the event staff and organizers. However, Osaka skipped praising Victoria Mboko and simply said, “I don’t really want to take up too much time, so I will just say thank you to everyone.” Seeing this bizarre gesture from a four-time Grand Slam champion, Coco Gauff’s ex-coach, Brad Gilbert, tweeted, “I know Osaka struggles with social anxiety, but gosh, congratulate your opponent.”
Even Rennae Stubbs shared a tweet later on saying, “the way Naomi handled it in the end, was a little .” According to Stubbs, it was a bit “sad” to see Naomi Osaka not congratulate someone who had looked up to her while growing up. On 11 August, during her podcast, Rennae Stubbs yet again brought this topic to the discussion table, explaining how Osaka had to be fetched by the WTA supervisors after the final. “I don’t like to rip on players. I was a terrible loser myself. I’ll be quite honest. The one thing you always do, I mean, unless you absolutely, and even when I absolutely hated the person I lost to, you begrudgingly, the words still have to come out of your mouth. Congratulations to X. Well done,” she said.
Embracing defeats is also an art. Accepting loss gracefully and learning from it can be a valuable skill and a positive attribute, and according to Stubbs, Naomi Osaka’s post-match gesture wasn’t at all positive. Commenting further on the player who has played almost 341 matches on the Tour, Stubbs added, “But to forget, quote unquote, is what she said. I’m like, honey, you didn’t forget. You just want to get off the stage. You hated every second of it. The WTA supervisor had to go and find her because she left the court and was not coming back to the trophy ceremony. It took them 12 minutes.”
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – AUGUST 27: Naomi Osaka of Japan walks on court before playing against Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia during their Women’s Singles First Round match on Day Two of the 2024 US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on August 27, 2024 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images)
Here, Rennae Stubbs was referring to the apology that Naomi Osaka had issued through a post on Thread. Following a massive uproar surrounding the controversial incident, Naomi Osaka shared a post in which she said, “I also want to say sorry and congratulations to Victoria.” She heaped praise on her for playing a great match and also wished her all the best for her career. But having said that, Osaka also mentioned that she had realized later on that she didn’t congratulate her on the court. Hence, this was perhaps the main reason behind her putting up the post. She said she was in a daze. What did the youngster say about Osaka after the match, though?
Victoria Mboko shares her thoughts on Naomi Osaka not attending the post-match press conference
For Victoria Mboko, winning the title on her home soil was more like a dream come true moment. At just 18 years and 11 months, she joined an exclusive list of young superstars to have won a Masters 1000 title so early in their careers. But could the ending have been much better? Different experts have shared different takes on this incident. For example, while having a discussion on the Nothing Major Show, Sam Querrey said, “Can Osaka not just act like an adult for five minutes? Just give a nice speech, fake it for a minute, and then move on to the locker room. It drives me nuts.” Even Steve Johnson gave a nod to the same.
However, according to the American legend, Andy Roddick, this was no big deal. He stated that other sports do not put losing finalists in front of the microphone so quickly. Remember what happened when Aryna Sabalenka faced defeat at the hands of Coco Gauff in the French Open final?
Speaking on Osaka’s post-match gesture, Roddick said, “She didn’t really want to expand a lot in the post-match speeches…Obviously, we’re not our best selves in that situation, and if people are, great, if they’re not, they’re not.” He also added, “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.” Andy Roddick also raised the example of Michael Jordan and said that he would be praised for being annoyed, rather than criticized, like Osaka has been in some corners.
Coming to her opponent’s post-match reaction, well, during her runners-up speech, Victoria Mboko thanked Naomi Osaka for the incredible match and also revealed that she has looked up to her while growing up. So, playing against her in a final was a memorable moment for her. Later on, during the press conference, when she was asked to share her thoughts on Osaka snubbing the post-match press conference, she added, “If that was her wish, then I respect it as well. I mean, I still think Naomi is an incredible player, and it doesn’t ever change what I think of her. I think she’s still a really nice girl. I still look up to her.” What are your thoughts on this controversial incident, though?
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