Naomi Osaka explains awkward Montreal trophy speech to Victoria Mboko: “I was in a daze” 

Naomi Osaka extended an apology—and a belated congratulations—to Victoria Mboko following a trophy ceremony misstep at the National Bank Open in Montreal.

The former world No. 1 has been criticized on social media for the way she handled Thursday's runner-up finish. According to Osaka, she "completely forgot" to congratulate her opponent during her brief on-court remarks—inadvertently snubbing the 18-year-old wild card who had revealed Osaka was one of her childhood idols.

Backed by a home crowd, Mboko capped off her dream run with a 2-6, 6-4, 6-1 upset over Osaka to claim her first WTA 1000 title on Thursday. In doing so, she also became the second-youngest player in the Open Era to knock out four Grand Slam champions at a single tournament.

Read More: Run of the year?! Wild card Victoria Mboko wins first WTA title over Naomi Osaka in magical Montreal finish

During the trophy presentation, Mboko opened her speech by thanking organizers and praising her opponent:

“First of all, it's been an incredible week here in Montreal,” Mboko said. “I first want to thank the ball kids and the officials and all the volunteers who helped this week.

“I also want to thank Naomi for an incredible match. I've always looked up to her when I was really little, so it's always great to play with such an amazing player like you.”

Read More: Victoria Mboko soars from No. 85 to No. 24 on WTA rankings after winning in Montreal

Osaka, by contrast, offered no direct acknowledgement of Mboko during her very brief speech. The four-time Grand Slam winner grew visibly frustrated during the lopsided third set, and appeared emotional throughout the trophy ceremony.

“I don’t really want to take up too much time, so I’ll say thank you to everyone,” Osaka said, holding back tears. “Thank you to my team, thank you to the organizers and all the volunteers. I hope you guys had a good night.”

Osaka skipped her post-match press conference, later apologizing in a WTA transcript: “I think Victoria played really well,” she said in a transcript provided by the WTA. “I completely forgot to congratulate her on court. Yeah, I mean, she did really amazing.” By then, her 16-second speech had gone viral, sparking debate online.

On Friday, after announcing her withdrawal from the Cincinnati Open, Osaka also took to Threads to address the incident:

“Thanks Montreal it’s been a really great run,” Osaka wrote. “I also want to say sorry and congratulations to Victoria. You played a great match and have an amazing career ahead!

“I didn’t congratulate you on court. Honestly I was in a daze and I was so focused on not having the same speech as IW 2018 finals or the Jenny/Jennifer situation (at the 2021 Australian Open) that I tried to make my speech as short as possible.

“Thanks everyone for the week, see you in NY.”

Osaka’s post made references to her previous endearingly awkward trophy ceremony gaffes over the years. At Indian Wells in 2018, Osaka nervously rambled and giggled through what she called “the worst acceptance speech of all time” after winning her first WTA title. In 2021, after beating Jennifer Brady in the Australian Open final, she famously asked her opponent, “Do you like to be called Jenny or Jennifer?” Brady replied “Jenny”, but Osaka immediately began her speech with, "Firstly I want to congratulate Jennifer…”

“Omg no,” Osaka later wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “I promise you my mind thought I called her Jenny in that moment and I was so confused why the crowd was laughing. I’m so sorry.”

Mboko, meanwhile, appeared completely unfazed by the Montreal incident.

“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,” she said in her post-match press conference.

“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.”