MONTREAL — It seems unlikely that Naomi Osaka will be promoting tourism for this city anytime soon.
The renowned Japanese athlete appeared visibly frustrated at times as the spirited Montreal crowd attempted to rally behind her during her 2-6, 6-4, 6-1 defeat against Canada’s Victoria Mboko in the National Bank Open presented by Rogers final on Thursday.
In a statement released shortly after the match, the WTA Tour confirmed that Osaka would not participate in a press conference and that remarks would be distributed instead.
“I think Victoria played exceptionally well,” Osaka stated in the transcript shared by the WTA. “I completely neglected to congratulate her on the court… She performed wonderfully.”
After a promising start, the four-time Grand Slam champion seemed to lose her footing.
During the early moments of the third set, Osaka received a warning from the umpire for striking a ball into the stands following a fault.
In her post-match on-court address, she was notably brief when acknowledged as the runner-up.
After a round of applause mixed with cheers from the audience, Osaka remarked: “Thanks, I suppose.”
“I don’t wish to take up too much time, so I’ll just express my gratitude to everyone. Thank you to my team, to the ball kids, to the organizers, and to all the volunteers. I hope you all enjoyed your evening.”
Some social media users noted that Osaka did not extend her congratulations to Mboko.
The Canadian player defended Osaka during her own press conference.
“If that was her choice (not to hold a press conference), I completely respect that,” Mboko expressed. “I still believe Naomi is an incredible athlete, and that doesn’t change my perception of her. She remains a wonderful person whom I truly admire.”
The enthusiastic crowd was certainly not as restrained as typical tennis audiences. Following Osaka’s double fault in the opening game, at least one boisterous “Yeah!” could be heard from the stands. As Mboko gained traction later in the match, it became increasingly challenging to silence the fans while Osaka readied to serve.
The umpire made several attempts to maintain peace in the crowd throughout the match, urging fans to refrain from speaking during points and repeatedly requesting reduced noise levels.
