Naomi Osaka impressed on court at the Canadian Open as she reached the final, but her runners-up speech has overshadowed her efforts.
Osaka did not congratulate Victoria Mboko after their Canadian Open final, which the home favourite won 2-6, 6-4, 6-1.
Tennis fans slammed Osaka for not referencing Mboko after their battle, with the former world number one having understandably been upset following the loss.
Osaka has apologised for not congratulating Mboko, who clinched her first career title at the WTA 1000 event earlier this month
The WTA Tour has since moved on to the Cincinnati Open, although both Osaka and Mboko have opted to skip the tournament.
Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty ImagesSam Querrey criticises Naomi Osaka after her speech at the Canadian Open
But Osaka’s post-match actions have remained in the spotlight, and have now been discussed by Sam Querrey and Steve Johnson on the Nothing Major Show.
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.”
Johnson agreed: “It drives me nuts too. Look, as athletes you take the good with the bad. You can’t just take praise when you are playing well.
“I get it’s a tough moment, we had [Aryna] Sabalenka do the same, and we have seen it on the men’s side too.
“But I don’t think Sabalenka deserves what she got after the French Open talking about that loss, because she was critical of her own game and didn’t thank Coco [Gauff].
Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images
“In a way it’s like you get to the biggest stage and you lose and you talk to the press 10 minutes later, you haven’t had time to process it and your mind is not that clear.
“Nobody on their regular day job is getting talked about like ‘did you have a bad day at the office?’. Sometimes it is hard and she is going to figure it out.
“But at least give an honest answer and thank your opponent. Do these things and move on. I know it’s hard to do but as an athlete that is your job.”
Sam Querrey and Steve Johnson agree over Naomi Osaka’s actions in Canada
Querrey was also quick to mention Osaka’s prize money from her lengthy run in Montreal, and indeed her impressive efforts throughout the event.
He noted: “She is also going to make $30 million, you can’t just shy away from that. Give a decent speech, congratulate your opponent.
“But having said that, great week for Osaka. She hasn’t been playing great there has been little signs here and there but to make a final, she can go to the US Open now and make a run to the semis, finals or maybe win it.”
READ MORE: Coco Gauff’s former coach gives his opinion on Naomi Osaka’s actions after the Canadian Open final
Johnson added: “I know it’s hard to lose a final but you have got to fake it for 10 minutes and get to the locker room.
“It’s definitely tricky in that moment because Mboko had just said her idol was Osaka and she was looking up to her in the days prior.
“So even if you are an opponent you see and hear these things, that sometimes you have just got to swallow a little bit of pride after a loss like that and tough it out and say congratulations and move on, then nobody is talking about it.”
A message from Osaka would have undoubtedly been welcomed by Mboko at the time, although nothing was going to upset the Canadian following her stunning achievement.
She enjoyed an unbelievable time on home soil, knocking out the likes of Gauff and Elena Rybakina before that fantastic comeback win over Osaka.
The four-time Grand Slam champion does, however, deserve credit for acknowledging her mishap and apologising to Mboko, who will have appreciated that gesture.