Serena Williams’ Ex-Coach Breaks Silence on Naomi Osaka’s Controversial Behavior at Canadian Open

Naomi Osaka has dominated headlines lately, making a bold switch from Patrick Mouratoglou to Tomasz Wiktrowski and instantly striking gold. With the Pole guiding her, she stormed past Jelena Ostapenko, Elina Svitolina, and Clara Tauson to reach her first Masters final in over six years. Across the net in the final, however, stood Canada’s own Victoria Mboko, visibly tense under the spotlight. Yet, fate flipped against Osaka, and the title slipped away. In the aftermath of her post-match Canadian Open controversy, Serena Williams’ former coach stepped forward, breaking her silence and delivering a pointed verdict that cut straight through the noise.

Naomi Osaka began the Canadian Open final with fire in her eyes, exploiting Victoria Mboko’s early nerves to snatch the first set 6-2. The title seemed within her grasp, just a few games away. But the momentum shifted like a tide against her will. Mboko roared back, taking the next two sets 6-4, 6-1, and with them, the championship. For much of the second and third sets, Osaka’s body language told its own story, muted, unsettled, as if wrestling with more than just the game before her. Still, no one could have foreseen the twist that would come after the final point.

In the ritual of the runners-up speech, the script is nearly sacred, congratulations to your opponent, recognition of their team, gratitude to the organisers. Yet Osaka tore a page from that tradition. “I don’t really want to take up too much time, so I will just say thank you to everyone,” she said. “Thank you to my team, and the ball kids, and the organisers, and the volunteers. I hope you guys had a good night.” Mboko’s name never crossed her lips. That omission, sharp as a blade, drew the gaze of Serena Williams’ former coach, Rennae Stubbs, who could not stay silent.

The Canadian Open final may have ended on court, but the aftershocks were felt loud and clear online. Right after the last ball was struck, Aussie great Rennae Stubbs wasted no time firing up her X handle. Her first note? Pure praise for the young Canadian who stole the show. “Congrats to Vicky who handled the pressure on her young shoulders so unbelievably well. Was it tough for her opponents all week, sure, but U know you’re going to play people from their own countries in those countries, that’s sports! & she’s 18 & so what did u expect!??,” she wrote, her words hitting with the sting of truth and the warmth of applause.

 

Congrats to Vicky who handled the pressure on her young shoulders so unbelievably well. Was it tough for her opponents all week, sure, but U know you’re going to play people from their own countries in those countries, that’s sports! & she’s 18 & so what did u expect!??

— Rennae Stubbs (@rennaestubbs) August 8, 2025

But the celebration didn’t end there. Moments later, Stubbs turned her attention to the other side of the net, and that’s where the mood shifted. “But the way Naomi handled it in the end, was a little . When u think about all the things she has gone thru, the big matches she’s won, that was a capitulation & the speech! 2 not congratulate Vicky, who’s looked up to u her whole career & just won this massive was sad.” Her verdict was sharp, wrapped in disappointment.

Stubbs’ words cut deeper because they came from a place of respect and history. She knows the grind, the glory, and the grace that finals demand. And to see a champion like Osaka bypass a moment of recognition for her opponent? That, to Stubbs, was a glaring miss.

Still, her spotlight always swung back to the victor. “Congrats Vicky! What a tourney. U hung in when u lost the 1st set, u hung in all tourney against some of the most experienced players of the past decade & u EARNED THIS ! Tennis is about hitting the ball in more than ur opponent & that’s what u did better than everyone in !” The words rang like a standing ovation.

And so, as the dust settled, Mboko’s triumph kept echoing. The 18-year-old stood tall under the brightest lights, the noise of the crowd, and now, the roar of her nation. While Osaka’s speech drew the headlines for the wrong reasons, the Canadian’s fight, poise, and victory have already carved her into the country’s sporting storybook, with the ink still fresh.

Coco Gauff and Taylor Townsend react to Mboko’s historic Canadian Open triumph

Victoria Mboko, the fearless 18-year-old Canadian wild card, carved her name into tennis folklore by conquering the Omnium Banque Nationale. Her run was a thing of legend, four scalps of Grand Slam champions, including Sofia Kenin, Coco Gauff, Elena Rybakina, and Naomi Osaka. Two of them, Gauff and Rybakina, were top-three seeds. From starting the year ranked No. 333 to becoming only the second-youngest in the Open Era to pull off such a feat, behind only Serena Williams in 1999, Mboko’s surge was nothing short of a meteoric rise.

As the final ball struck the tape and history was sealed, Coco Gauff, one of her fallen opponents, set rivalry aside for respect. She posted her congratulations to Mboko, recognizing the teenager’s arrival on the sport’s biggest stage. It was a moment that bridged generations, one champion passing a torch, if only for the night, to a new force born on Canadian hard courts.

The WTA wasted no time in immortalizing the victory. Just a couple of hour later, her Instagram feed lit up with a powerful portrait of Mboko, rackets in hand, crowned by the caption “Allez Vicky!” and stamped with the words “Marvelous in Montreal,” shared by WTA, where Coco added her own words, “Congratulations.” 

Taylor Townsend also joined the chorus. She re-shared a clip from the Omnium Banque Nationale page, the words “Precision under pressure. That’s how you win a final” sitting perfectly over Mboko’s match-winning strike. Townsend added her own seal: “The Moment ,” a nod from one fighter to another, an acknowledgment of grace under fire.

Now, with Canada’s hard-court crown resting firmly on her head, all eyes turn to New York. Can Victoria Mboko channel this storm into the roaring seas of the US Open and prove her magic travels beyond home soil? The stage is set, the lights are waiting, and the world is watching.

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