Naomi Osaka returned to the spotlight on Thursday night in Montreal but her performance made national headlines for all of the wrong reasons. The four-time Grand Slam champion is now facing criticism over her demeanor following a heart-wrenching defeat to budding 18-year-old Canadian star Victoria Mboko in the 2025 National Bank Open final.
Osaka came out strong, taking the first set 6-2 and looked poised to secure her first WTA title since returning from maternity leave. But the momentum shifted quickly and Osaka appeared dissociated during the second and third sets, showcasing poor body language and acting dejected when the tide turned against her.
Mboko fought back with aggressive baseline play and unwavering composure, taking the second set 6-4 and steamrolling through the third 6-1 to capture her first-ever WTA Tour title in front of an electrified home crowd.
Osaka Fails To Congratulate Mboko After Heart-Breaking Loss
While the match had its share of drama, it was Osaka’s post-match conduct that sparked debate among fans. In her brief runner-up speech, Osaka skipped the usual congratulatory remarks to her opponent and kept her comments to a few short words:
“I don’t really wanna take up too much time. I’ll just say thank you to everyone. Thank you to my team, the ball kids, organizers and volunteers. I hope you guys had a good night.”
Naomi Osaka has a lot be proud of this week. It was a good run to the final and unfortunately it ended with a loss. But plenty of positives.
It really wasn’t nice that she didn’t congratulate Victoria Mboko in her speech.#WTA🎾 #Montréal🏆 pic.twitter.com/VsvaH1266A
— Sean (@SeanTafirenyika) August 8, 2025
The victory was Mboko’s first Tour-level title and she became the 5th youngest player to ever win a WTA 1000 event. For Osaka to simply not acknowledge her accomplishment felt classless, especially after she appeared to be flattered when finding out Mboko looked up to her as a child during the pre-match press conference.
Naomi Osaka’s reaction to finding out her opponent, Victoria Mboko, idolizes her was amazing. 🥹
🎥 @TennisCanada | @WTA pic.twitter.com/FNHZjNLWo7
— On Her Turf (@OnHerTurf) August 7, 2025
On social media, many tennis fans were outraged at Osaka’s behavior and recalled the 2018 US Open final, when a young Osaka defeated Serena Williams and was met with a hostile crowd, a moment that left her visibly shaken.
Mboko Takes The High Road In Post-Match Speech
Fortunately, Mboko took the high road following her breakthrough moment. She thanked Osaka for an incredible match and seemed grateful to share the court with her childhood idol.
I also want to thank Naomi for an incredible match,” Mboko said as she addressed the crowd. “I always looked up to her when I was really little. It’s great to play with such an amazing player like you.”
Victoria Mboko after beating Osaka to win 1st WTA 1000 title in Montreal
“I wanna thank Naomi for an incredible match. I’ve always looked up to her when I was really little. It’s great to play with such an amazing player like you” 🥹
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) August 8, 2025
On her way to winning the National Bank Open, Mboko beat four former Grand Slam champions, including back-to-back comeback wins in the semifinals and final after losing the first set. Following the win, Moboko is now ranked No. 25 in the world and has nearly tripled her career earnings from $458,000 to $1,210,000, an increase of 164%.
Osaka Tells Montreal Press She ‘Forgot’ To Congratulate Mboko
When speaking to the Montreal Press, Osaka addressed the situation, telling reporters that her emotions flipped so quickly that she ‘forgot’ to congratulate Mboko on her monumental victory. “I think it’s kind of funny. This morning I was very grateful, I don’t know why my emotions flipped so quickly, but I’m really happy to have played the final. I think Victoria played really well. I completely forgot to congratulate her on the court.”
With the US Open just weeks away, Osaka will need to regroup both physically and mentally. Whether this incident fades as an isolated moment of frustration or lingers as a talking point depends largely on how she responds in her next outing, both with her racket and after the final ball is played.
