Canadian WTA star Victoria Mboko recently addressed the nervousness she faced amid the wrist injury she incurred during the semifinal showdown against Elena Rybakina. The 18-year-old mentioned how she could clearly feel the impact of the injury while facing Naomi Osaka in the finals. She also unveiled the self-motivational talk that helped her excel in the challenging matchup.
Victoria Mboko Unveils the Hassles She Faced Amid Concerning Wrist Injury
18-year-old Victoria Mboko secured a notable breakthrough by winning her first WTA title at the Canadian Open. She pulled off an impressive comeback against Naomi Osaka to win 2-6, 6-4, 6-1. This was the second match in a row where the teenager had to fight back after dropping the opening set.
Before facing Osaka in the final, Mboko suffered a wrist injury during her semifinal match against Elena Rybakina. The injury raised concerns, and she even had to undergo an MRI scan, which made her feel nervous. However, the injury didn’t seem to affect her performance, as she went on to claim a strong three-set victory over Osaka.
“I was pretty nervous, I could say, especially when I woke up this morning. It was pretty swollen, and it was really stiff and hard to move. So we decided to go to do an MRI and an X-ray just to make sure that nothing too serious was happening, that I could have the possibility of playing,” the Canadian said in her post-match press conference.
“Yeah, when I got the green light, I just had to make sure I saw the physios, and we taped it up properly before the match and a very solid tape job. Yeah, I just did as much as I could to prepare for the match,” she added.
Victoria Mboko takes a medical timeout after hurting her wrist. pic.twitter.com/LJILhxT3Wv
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) August 7, 2025
Besides the psychological effect, Mboko also mentioned how the injury affected her performance mid-match.
“I wouldn’t say I didn’t feel it at all. There’s obviously some moments where it was aggravating me a lot, but I feel like it was the final. I just kept saying to myself, You have one more to go. I had, of course, the extra motivation from the crowd as well to keep pushing,” the teenager said.
Besides securing her first-ever WTA 1000 title, Mboko also attained a massive achievement by taking down four Grand Slam champions in the process.
Victoria Mboko Unveils the Heavy Excitement and Pride Following Her Victory Over Osaka
Canadian WTA pro Victoria Mboko won her first WTA Tour title by stopping Naomi Osaka from winning her first trophy in four years at the National Bank Open. The match featured 13 service breaks in total. After a rough first set with 22 unforced errors and no break points, Mboko bounced back strongly, taking eight of the nine break chances she got in the rest of the match.
Following the win, the teenager found it hard to hide her excitement as she attained the biggest milestone in her career so far.
“I was super happy to be playing in Montreal for the first time ever. I just remember feeling nervous, but really taking in the moment as much as I possibly could. When I won my first round, I was super happy and super content. I would have never thought that I would have made it to the final, let alone win the tournament. I have so many emotions going through my head, I can’t even express it,” she said.
A NEW CANADIAN SUPERSTAR IS BORN 🏆🇨🇦
Victoria Mboko defeats Naomi Osaka in a three-set battle to capture the National Bank Open title in Montreal 💥#OBN25 | @OBNmontreal pic.twitter.com/9uspi3h7d3
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) August 8, 2025
Mboko has now moved up to a career-high 24th in the WTA rankings following her triumph in Montreal.
