Mouratoglou warns with Osaka: "She is ready to play her best tennis on clay"

Andrés Tomás Rico | 5 May 2025 | 20.30

Mouratoglou warns with Osaka: "She is ready to play her best tennis on clay court". Photo: Gettyimages

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Patrick Mouratoglou maintains hope with Naomi Osaka. The coach of the Japanese player believes that the former world number one will return to being among the best tennis players in the world. After her success at the WTA 125 in Saint-Malo, the Frenchman granted an interview with Tennis Majors, where he talked about the importance of this tour for his player and the shift in perspective after winning her first title on clay.

Despite Osaka's rocky start on this surface, the Mutua Madrid Open being her first tournament, where she was defeated in the early stages by Lucia Bronzetti (6-4, 2-6, 6-4), they decided last minute to participate in the French tournament, which ultimately brought her an unexpected joy two weeks ago.

"A trophy is a trophy. And it was tough, for many reasons. First, because Naomi lost in the first round in Madrid. So, she entered the tournament with a first-round loss, which is always tough in terms of confidence. Secondly, historically, clay has never been a surface where she has played well. And thirdly, in a way, being a WTA 125, she couldn't afford to lose. So, when you put all those things together, the pressure was very high for her," Mouratoglou affirmed.

The main goal was to spend hours on court

However, the Frenchman emphasized that the main goal was to gain experience for what was coming on the clay: "That's what we needed. It's what she needed to start the clay season well. She needed some wins. And she got them, all that she could this week, and she also needed to feel good on the surface."

Despite her uneven start on clay before traveling to France, her coach never stopped believing in his student: "I think the training block we did on clay at the Mouratoglou Academy after Miami was great. She worked very hard. She felt ready to play there, but she needed matches on that surface. And now she has had them. That's great. That's exactly what we wanted to achieve in Saint-Malo. I had no doubt that Naomi would play very well on clay."

Since the beginning of her career, Osaka excelled on hard and grass courts, two fast surfaces that suit her rapid and aggressive style of play. But on clay, there was still unfinished business, although for Mouratoglou, it's a matter of time: "I think it's just the fact that she has never spent enough time on this surface. And historically, because she didn't spend much time on the surface, she had many defeats there, so she probably thought her game didn't adapt to clay. But there is no obvious reason why she wouldn't play well on this surface. So, it was important to have a solid clay training block. We did it. And it was important to have enough positive matches on the surface. And that was also done. So, I think now she is ready to play her best tennis on clay."

Following her success in Saint-Malo, perhaps expectations will rise with an Osaka who now sees in Rome and Paris an opportunity to once again mingle among the best on the planet. But the Frenchman believes she has other priorities: "The expectation is that she finally feels comfortable on the surface, feels confident, and plays freely. Because she is convinced she can play well here. This week, there have been moments, during the matches, where she played at a Top-5 level, without a doubt. So my expectation is for her to go there, play, feel free and confident, and then we'll see what happens," a hopeful Mouratoglou concludes.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Mouratoglou avisa con Osaka: "Está lista para jugar su mejor tenis en tierra batida"