How Naomi Osaka handled herself after heartbreaking Canadian Open loss to Victoria Mboko: Everything we know

As per reports, Naomi Osaka has skipped the post-match press conference at the Canadian Open to address mental health issues by seeking professional help after losing to Victoria Mboko in the finals. Osaka reached a WTA final for the first time in 2022.

Naomi Osaka is no stranger to mental health struggles, as she withdrew from Roland Garros in 2021, citing the same. Since then, she has been a mental health advocate, even inspiring other athletes to attend to problems related to their mental well-being. In the recent Canadian Open, she faced teenage sensation Victoria Mboko in the finals but lost in two sets, despite initially leading.

It was Osaka’s first significant appearance since the birth of her daughter, Shai. After her loss to Mboko, the Japanese No.1 sought help from the WTA’s on-site mental health team, hesitating to attend the press conference. Naomi Osaka’s state of mind was even visible in her subdued runner-up speech as she didn’t congratulate the winner.

Trending

"I don’t really wanna take up too much time. I’ll just say thank you to everyone. Thank you to my team, thank you to the ball kids, to the organisers, and to the volunteers. I hope you guys had a good night," she briefly said (via CNN).

Osaka was the first Asian player to be ranked No. 1 in the WTA rankings. Besides the French Open, she sat out Wimbledon in 2021, and her return at the US Open wasn't pleasant as she lost composure and received a code violation, which led to another brief hiatus.

Naomi Osaka was devastated after her French Open exit, stating that she had disappointed Patrick Mouratoglou

Naomi Osaka has always struggled to find her form on the clay surface, and this year, it was no different at Roland Garros. She lost to Paula Badosa in two sets in the opening round and later broke down in the press conference, admitting that she was a disgrace to then-coach Patrick Mouratoglou, who led the legendary Serena Williams to ten Grand Slam titles.

"I hate disappointing people. So even with Patrick, I was thinking this just now… But he goes from working with the greatest player ever to, like, ‘What the f*** this is?’ You know what I mean? Sorry for cursing, I hope I don’t get fined, but…" Osaka said while losing control of her emotions.

The four-time Grand Slam titlist was the first tennis player to light the Olympic cauldron during the 2021 Tokyo Games opening ceremony. Osaka also won the Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year award that year.

×

Was this article helpful?

Thank You for feedback

About the author

Agnijeeta Majumder

Agnijeeta is a US Olympics journalist at Sportskeeda. She holds a Master’s degree in English and has worked as a school teacher, a blogger, a content writer and a sports writer over the past 5 years. A lover of high-adrenaline track and field events, she was also a sprinter during her school days.

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone happens to be her favorite Olympian, and the athlete’s feat of breaking four records within 13 months inspires her, apart from the American's body language on and off the track. Grant Hackett swimming with a partially dysfunctional lung and winning gold in Athens is her all-time favorite Olympic moment.

Agnijeeta believes that deriving of unique angles from podcasts and interviews carried out by Olympics.com, along with hype-building of potential Olympic events on social media can help fill the coverage gap during the off season.

When not at her work desk, Agnijeeta likes to sing and paint. She also plays string instruments like guitar and ukulele and is an avid player of word puzzles.

Know More