'Fake it for a minute': Naomi Osaka refuses to acknowledge Victoria Mboko in Canadian Open speech as Sam Querrey calls her behavior unacceptable
D
uring the 2025 Canadian Open, which was held at Montreal's IGA Stadium on August 11, in Toronto, Victoria Mboko (18 years old) emerged victorious over Naomi Osetka in the finals.
In a close game, the former World No. 1 from Chuo-ku, Osaka, Japan dropped 2-6, 6-4, 1-6. Naomi Osaka deliberately left Victoria Mboko's name out of her post-match speech, which almost immediately created debate, rather than congratulating her opponent. Many fans and former players found her speech disappointing and unprofessional.
Sam Querrey
criticizes Naomi Osaka's behavior after the Canadian Open final
Former American tennis player Sam Querrey, once ranked World No. 11 and winner of 10 ATP singles titles, strongly condemned Naomi Osaka's post-match speech.
Speaking on the 'Nothing Major Show' podcast on August 13, 2025, Sam Querrey said,
'Can Osaka just act like an adult for 5 minutes? Just give a nice speech, fake it for a minute and then move on to the locker room. It drives me nuts.'
He added that Naomi Osaka is a global star and earns huge money, so it was important to show basic respect by congratulating Victoria Mboko.
Sam Querrey did say that Osaka had a strong week and was clearly improving after a difficult period. He believes she can still go deep into the 2025 US Open next month.
Also Read:
Conor McGregor Faces Sudden UFC Roster Removal Raising Doubts Over Future After Paramount Agreement
Naomi Osaka apologizes to Victoria Mboko and prepares for the US Open
After receiving bitter criticism on social media, Naomi Osaka issued an apology to Victoria Mboko on August 14, 2025, via her official Instagram account explaining she was emotional after the match and forgot to mention her opponent.
by Taboola
by Taboola
Sponsored Links
Sponsored Links
Promoted Links
Promoted Links
You May Like
Always Put a Plastic Bottle on Your Tires when Parked, Here's Why
Cleverst
Undo
Naomi Osaka has made a number of player changes in 2025. She ended her coaching relationship with Patrick Mouratoglou and hired Tomasz Wiktorowski, who coached Iga Swiatek previously.
Speaking to Tennis World, Osaka said, 'I enjoy Tomasz and his coaching style. He is very direct and to the point.' Hoping to keep up her good form and prevent any further conflicts, Naomi Osaka will now turn her attention to the 2025 US Open in New York.
Catch Rani Rampal's inspiring story on Game On, Episode 4. Watch Here!
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
9 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Cincinnati Open tennis: Sabalenka and Gauff crash out as Alcaraz survives to reach semifinals
World number one Aryna Sabalenka and second-ranked Coco Gauff were sent crashing out of the ATP-WTA Cincinnati Open on Friday (August 15, 2025) as Carlos Alcaraz fought off a fierce challenge from Andrey Rublev to reach the semifinals. Top seed and defending champion Sabalenka had no answer for Elena Rybakina, falling to the 2022 Wimbledon champion 6-1, 6-4. Reigning French Open champion Gauff had 16 double faults in a 2-6, 6-4, 6-3 exit at the hands of seventh-seeded Italian Jasmine Paolini. Spain's second-ranked Alcaraz had his difficulties, but he broke Rublev in the final game of a tense duel to emerge a 6-3, 4-6, 7-5 winner and will face third-seeded Alexander Zverev, who brought fifth-seeded Toronto champion Ben Shelton's run to an end with a 6-2, 6-2 victory. Zverev earned a 4-1 lead in the second set as Shelton angrily tossed his racquet on the changeover, and the 2021 champion polished off the win on a second match point. He now has 24 hours to try to get fit. 'I'm not feeling too great now, but I have a day to get fresh,' Zverev said. 'I hope to be at 100%. 'I'm not sure what happened. I felt very well, but at the end of the first set, it got progressively worse. But I'll do all I can to give it a shot tomorrow.' Alcaraz was broken while serving for victory at 5-4 in the final set against 11th-ranked Rublev, but he found his focus and used his trademark grit to come through three games later. He sealed the triumph as an emotional Rublev hit an eighth double-fault on match point. 'I maintained the positive thoughts even if I lost focus a bit in the second set,' said Alcaraz, whose five titles so far this year include the French Open as well as Masters 1000 trophies in Monte Carlo and Rome. Rybakina revenge Rybakina fired 11 aces en route to a fifth career victory over Sabalenka in 12 meetings. She avenged a loss to the Belarusian in Berlin two months ago and booked a semi-final meeting with Wimbledon champion Iga Swiatek — a 6-3, 6-4 winner over Anna Kalinskaya. Rybakina was aided by 11 aces as she reached her first Cincinnati semi-final. 'I'm happy with the serve. It was the key today,' Rybakina said. 'I served really well.' 'If she had been serving well, it would have been a totally different match,' she acknowledged. Rybakina has won her last three matches against Swiatek, all played this season. But Swiatek was feeling confident after downing Kalinskaya in what she called 'the best match I played here.' 'I'm happy that I'm progressing during the tournament,' Swiatek said. Gauff, the 2023 Cincinnati champion, had looked well on her way after a quick first set against Paolini. But her mistakes caught up with her as she was broken eight times by the Italian, who overcame plenty of errors of her own as well as a twisted ankle suffered early in the third set. 'It was so tough at the start, I was running and trying to put the ball inside the court,' Paolini said. 'I started to feel the ball better.' 'I fought for every point and stayed in the match,' added the Italian, who will face Veronika Kudermetova for a place in the final. Kudermetova crushed Varvara Gracheva 6-1, 6-2.
The Hindu
9 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Pegula-Draper pair up for US Open mixed doubles; Sinner searching for new partner
Jessica Pegula and Jack Draper will team up for the U.S. Open mixed doubles tournament, after their previous partners withdrew Friday from the revamped event. Top-ranked men's player Jannik Sinner also needs a new partner if he wants to play in the event that will reward USD 1 million to the winning team, as Emma Navarro has also pulled out of the competition that begins Tuesday and will instead be playing next week in a tournament in Monterrey, Mexico. Pegula was slated to play with fellow American Tommy Paul, while Draper had been paired with Paula Badosa. Pegula, Draper and Sinner were all allowed to find a new partner by Sunday's deadline and maintain a direct entry into the field of 16 teams if their combined singles ranking was high enough. Pegula, last year's U.S. Open women's runner-up, and Draper had a combined ranking of 9 as of the entry deadline. ALSO READ | Cincinnati Open 2025: Alcaraz fights past Rublev into semis; Zverev beats Shelton After the withdrawals and new pairings, Italians Jasmine Paolini and Lorenzo Musetti also moved into the draw via direct entry through their combined rankings. There are 13 spots currently filled, including defending mixed doubles champions Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori, who were given one of the wild cards by the U.S. Tennis Association. They criticised the new format, a shortened, two-day event that will largely be filled by top singles players. The other teams that have qualified directly include: Iga Swiatek and Casper Ruud, Elena Rybakina and Taylor Fritz, Amanda Anisimova and Holger Rune, Belinda Bencic and Alexander Zverev, and Mirra Andreeva and Daniil Medvedev. The other wild cards that have been given have gone to Emma Raducanu and Carlos Alcaraz, Madison Keys and Frances Tiafoe, Olga Danilovic and Novak Djokovic, Taylor Townsend and Ben Shelton, and Venus Williams and Reilly Opelka.
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
'A really bad joke' — Kelsey Plum clears the air on controversial Caitlin Clark All-Star Game comment in candid talk with Sue Bird
Kelsey Plum and Caitlin Clark. Image via: Ethan Miller/ Getty Images Los Angeles Sparks guard Kelsey Plum has broken her silence on the controversy surrounding her postgame remark about Caitlin Clark's team at the WNBA All-Star Game. Plum claims that it was meant as a joke quickly turned into a flashpoint. Her comments quickly sparked criticism across social media and national coverage. Now, in a sit-down with Sue Bird on the 'Bird's Eye View' podcast, Plum admitted the timing of her words was off and that the moment was taken out of context. Kelsey Plum admits her joke on Caitlin Clark didn't land After the All-Star Game in Indianapolis, Kelsey Plum told reporters that 'zero members of Team Clark' had attended the players' morning meeting, where the decision to wear black 'Pay Us What You Owe Us' shirts was made. At the time, she laughed alongside Sabrina Ionescu, trying to inject humor into a press conference heavy with collective bargaining questions. On Bird's podcast, Plum admitted her intent never matched how the comments were received. 'The questions came in, and it was like, 'CBA, this, this, this.' It was like, 'Hey, Team Clark, they didn't make it to the meeting.' I was making a joke that they were hungover, even though our team nickname was 'hungover.' by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like TV providers are furious: this gadget gives you access to all channels Techno Mag Learn More Undo So it was like, 'At least we made it (to the meeting).'' Plum has long been known for throwing in lighthearted remarks, but this one hit differently. Fans interpreted her words as a slight against Clark, especially since Clark, though sidelined, was photographed wearing the protest shirt on the court. In retrospect, Plum acknowledged she failed to read the seriousness of the moment. 'I made a bad joke. I made a really bad joke, tough one,' she admitted. 'I should have—like, hindsight's 20/20—because of the shirts, because of the fans… I should have known it was a way more serious moment than a typical All-Star Game. Because I went into that press conference very, like, happy-go-lucky we won, you know?' A brief context behind the Kelsey Plum's controversy The WNBA's labor climate explains why Plum's comment became a hot topic of discussion beyond the locker-room. Players are in the middle of collective bargaining with the league, with the current CBA set to expire in October. The protest shirts worn at All-Star Weekend were designed to highlight pay equity concerns following the WNBA's $2.2 billion television rights deal. Clark joined her peers in wearing the shirts, despite being sidelined from her play. Plum emphasized that her words should not be taken as questioning Clark's commitment. 'Obviously, we're all on the same page. We all wore the shirts. Like, we're all unified. I think, if anything, I was more discouraged because I felt like the comments took away from the moment of what we were trying to do.' Also Read: Magic Johnson's wife Cookie Johnson celebrates the Los Angeles Lakers legend's 66th birthday at world famous chef's restaurant As the league and union move toward tense negotiations, even offhand remarks are under a microscope. Commissioner Cathy Engelbert has remained optimistic that 'something transformational' will come from the bargaining process. But for Plum, the All-Star fallout was a reminder of how even a few misplaced words can shift the spotlight away from the message. Catch Rani Rampal's inspiring story on Game On, Episode 4. Watch Here!
