Victoria Mboko has delivered her thoughts on Naomi Osaka’s bold decision to not attend her press conference after losing the Canadian Open final.
It is a move that tennis players do make from time to time, suffering large financial consequences as well as scorn from fans who might question the decision.
After all, on paper, it seems rather straightforward to just speak to a room full of reporters for ten minutes to save huge money.
But for some, especially after a crushing loss, it’s the last thing they want to do.
Naomi Osaka’s decision is yet to be explained, but Victoria Mboko has at least offered her verdict on the move.
Victoria Mboko says how she really feels about Naomi Osaka
The 18-year-old, fresh from her maiden title on the WTA tour, was asked for her thoughts on Osaka, her conduct throughout the match, and if she got to speak to her after.
Mboko began by claiming: “No, I didn’t really get a chance to speak with her after the game, but I mean, I was kind of really caught up in everything that was happening after the match.”
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Then, touching on Osaka’s press conference snub, she continued to tell Canadian Open reporters: “If that was her wishes, then I respect it as well. I mean, I still think Naomi is an incredible player, and it doesn’t ever change what I think of her. I think she’s still a really nice girl. I still look up to her.
“Nothing really changes after the match. I mean, I’m really happy that I was able to win today, but I mean, to play against her was also a really special moment for me.”
Osaka has come under fire for not congratulating Mboko in her post-match speech. However, Osaka has since explained why she didn’t congratulate Mboko in an effort to downplay any growing discontent.
Who are the youngest women to ever win a Masters 1000 title?
Mboko, at just 18 years and 11 months old, has joined an exclusive list of young superstars to have won a Masters 1000 title so early on in their careers.
However, she is far from the youngest ever to have done so.
In fact, there are many players ahead of her, but she has achieved this feat around the same time as stars like Steffi Graf, Maria Sharapova and Venus Williams did.
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Naturally, the original wonderkid Monica Seles reigns supreme, having won the Miami Open aged 16 years and 162 days.
She pipped Martina Hingis by just 16 days, with Mirra Andreeva next up, having won Indian Wells earlier this year at 17 years and 321 days old.