Naomi Osaka’s return to the court at the Canadian Open should have been a “welcome back” moment. Instead, it turned into an awkward PR disaster that had fans and critics raising their eyebrows. Osaka, a four-time Grand Slam champion and one of tennis’s brightest stars, faced an 18-year-old phenom, Victoria Mboko, in a match that not only tested Osaka’s game but also her grace under pressure. Spoiler alert? Grace didn’t win this time.

While Mboko mounted a brilliant comeback to defeat Osaka 2-6, 6-4, 6-1, the post-match festivities (read: disaster) took on a life of their own. Osaka, visibly downcast, delivered the shortest and most unenthusiastic loser’s speech in maybe the history of tennis. Clocking in at just 18 seconds, she rattled off a “thanks to the team, the ball kids, and the vol

See Full Page