After losing, Naomi Osaka showed a sour face and did not congratulate her opponent, which led to a lot of criticism online for her lack of sportsmanship.

When Naomi Osaka learned during the press conference after her semifinal victory that her opponent in the final regarded her as an idol, she felt very honored, and this sentiment made the final even more meaningful. However, when they faced each other today at the Montreal Centre Court, the competitive atmosphere overshadowed everything. Osaka easily won the first set 6-2 against the local rising star, but Mbohko did not give up.

The Canadian player showcased her strong comeback ability, leveling the score in the second set and ultimately defeating the Japanese star in a turnaround in the deciding set, with the 18-year-old Mbohko winning her first WTA 1000 event title with a score of 2-6, 6-4, 6-1.

Making her comeback after giving birth, Naomi Osaka reached her first WTA 1000 final but was unable to maintain her previous form. Equally regrettable was that she seemed to fall short in post-match etiquette.

During the post-match interview, Osaka appeared disinterested after her loss to Mbohko. She simply said, “I don’t want to take up too much time. I just want to thank everyone, my team, the ball kids, the tournament organizers, and the volunteers. I hope everyone has a great evening.” Although she thanked many people, everyone noticed that she skipped congratulating the champion standing beside her, while Mbohko looked at her idol, hoping for a few words of praise.

It is worth mentioning that although this Japanese star overlooked praising Mbohko during the awards ceremony, she still conveyed a message in other ways: “I think Victoria played very well, and I completely forgot to congratulate her on the court. Yes, she really performed excellently, so…” But for many fans, all of this seemed to come too late. They felt that Osaka simply did what she had expressed she did not want to do the day before.

Before reaching the final, Mbohko had already defeated notable players like Gauff and Rybakina, and after winning the title, her ranking rose to 24th in the world. Additionally, she made history by becoming the second Canadian woman to win in Montreal after Bianca Andreescu in 2019, and the third Canadian WTA player to achieve this since the Open Era. No wonder the audience cheered for this local rising star, which is why many tennis fans felt dissatisfied when Osaka merely went through the motions during her acceptance speech.

Osaka has faced criticism before. When she defeated her idol Serena Williams in the 2018 US Open final, it sparked significant controversy for various reasons. However, sportsmanship dictates that one should give credit where it’s due. Although she later offered her congratulations, it was not expressed during the “highlight moment” of the event, which led to much discussion among fans.

One netizen wrote: “Losing without grace is really uncool.” Another bluntly stated she is “unable to lose... it’s disgusting!” Some fans criticized her behavior after losing in the Canadian Open final: “For a player of her level to act so unsportsmanlike after a loss is truly disappointing.” For many, her failure to praise Mbohko on site was one of the most off-putting moments of the match.

A similar incident occurred during this season’s Wimbledon. After losing to Pavlyuchenkova in the third round, Osaka broke down emotionally during the post-match interview, barely able to say anything positive: “Today I’m just a negative person, sorry. I don’t have any positive comments about myself. To be honest, I’m really frustrated right now.”

In May this year at the French Open, after losing to Badosa in the first round, she also said: “I hate disappointing others. Even my coach Patrick, I was just thinking, he used to work with the greatest player of all time (Serena), and now he has to think, ‘What is this?’ Sorry for my outburst, I hope I won’t be fined.” She had parted ways with Mouratoglou at the end of July.

Perhaps this is just her personality, and her absence from the press conference today was an attempt to avoid saying something that could be misinterpreted. But the audience clearly does not see it that way. “Not-so-friendly Naomi Osaka, coming from a fan of yours… you should at least congratulate your opponent.” Another comment criticized her for “ignoring” Mbohko. Former WTA star Renée Stubbs was also shocked by this, stating: “Osaka’s handling of the situation at the end was a bit… Considering everything she has gone through and her victories in major tournaments, it felt more like a surrender. And not congratulating a girl who has admired you her whole life and just won a huge title during the acceptance speech is truly regrettable.”

Fans continue to question Osaka’s mindset after her loss: “I hope Naomi Osaka can at least acknowledge her opponent’s victory; losing gracefully is also part of the game.”

Perhaps in the future, we will hear more explanations from her about why she forgot to mention her opponent’s name on site. But it is also understandable, as losing this major title must be quite difficult for her. What do you think about Naomi Osaka’s treatment of Mbohko after the match?(Source: Tennis Home, Author: Spark)