Tennis fans and experts are talking about what happened after Naomi Osaka lost to Victoria Mboko at the 2025 Canadian Open.
Osaka won the first set of the final but eventually lost the contest 2-6, 6-4, 6-1. After the match, the Japanese did not congratulate Mboko in her runner-up speech, something that garnered criticism from Coco Gauff’s former coach Brad Gilbert.
Brad Gilbert Speaks Out About Osaka’s Post-Match Speech
Tennis coach Brad Gilbert, who has worked with the likes of Gauff and Andre Agassi, among others, posted a message on social media about the men’s and women’s Canadian Open finals. He praised Karen Khachanov for his gracious runner-up speech after a tight loss to Ben Shelton in the deciding tiebreak in Toronto.
Gilbert, however, criticized Osaka’s behavior, claiming that she should have congratulated Mboko on her Montreal victory.
“Props to Silent 🔇 K on excellent speech 🎤 after losing 7/6 in 3rd, i know Double Osaka struggles with social anxiety 😥 but gosh congratulate your opponent especially one ☝️ that looked upped to you, not mention you just let the last few games going a final,” Gilbert said.
props to Silent 🔇 K on excellent speech 🎤 after losing 7/6 in 3rd, i know Double Osaka struggles with social anxiety 😥 but gosh congratulate your opponent especially one ☝️ that looked upped to you, not mention you just let the last few games going a final
— Brad Gilbert (@bgtennisnation) August 8, 2025
A fan commented on this tweet, saying: “Refusing to speak to the press afterwards is also not acceptable. Yes it is hard, but this is very disappointing.” Gilbert replied by stating that Osaka could receive a “big fine” for avoiding the reporters.
I would imagine that would be a big fine too
— Brad Gilbert (@bgtennisnation) August 8, 2025
The Canadian Open Final Between Naomi Osaka and Victoria Mboko
The final between Osaka and Mboko happened on August 7, 2025 in Montreal, Canada where the 18-year-old beat the former World No. 1 2-6, 6-4, 6-1 to secure her first WTA 1000 title.
Osaka won the first set easily, but then Mboko came back strong. She broke Osaka’s serve eight times out of nine chances she had, with the crowd in Montreal supporting the home player very loudly.
When Osaka had to give her runner-up speech, she kept it very short. The Japanese said:
“Thanks, I guess. I don’t really want to 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.” Notably, she did not acknowledge Mboko’s victory.
Many people noticed this and opined that the four-time Grand Slam champion’s behavior was bad sportsmanship. Osaka, who skipped the press conference, later clarified through the WTA that she forgot to congratulate Mboko and conveyed that the Canadian played well.
MORE: Naomi Osaka Delays Press Conference After Runner-Up Speech Controversy Rocks Canadian Open
