Naomi Osaka Reclaims Her Grand Slam Flex Silencing French Open Crash

“As time goes on, I feel like I should be doing better. I hate disappointing people,” said an emotional Naomi Osaka after her tough loss at the French Open. Since returning from maternity leave last year, the former World No.1 hasn’t had it easy. She faced repeated early exits and struggled with back and abdominal injuries that cut her 2024 run short in the fourth round at the China Open. Coming into 2025, she had already reached one final and won a title at L’Open 35 de Saint-Malo—her first since becoming a mother. That victory gave hope for her clay court game at Roland Garros. Alas, it wasn’t meant to be. But is she too down about it?

On Monday, Naomi took the stage for her opening match against Paula Badosa—for the first time! Eager to clinch her first French Open title and restore her glory, she fought hard. She won the first set and the tiebreak 7-6(1). However, she couldn’t keep up. The Spaniard defeated her 6-1, 6-4. Naomi expressed her disappointment in the post-match press conference.

However, on Tuesday, she shared her thoughts on Instagram. Alongside a photo of her in a pink-sakura-themed Nike kit, she wrote, “Idk guys I don’t have anything motivational to say for this one. I tried my best but this one really hurts. Comforted by the fact that I’ll get referred to as 4x GS winner and never 2025 RG 1st rounder haha. Thank you @nike for letting me draw this fit and trusting me enough to bring it to life (literally don’t know why you guys are always so kind to me), thank you @themartyharper for coming through and turning me into Sailor Moon (it’s giving mahou shoujo ). Lastly thank you to everyone for all the kind messages, I am extremely grateful ”

Quite a champ, right? Naomi Osaka was a player to watch before maternity leave! Before her break, she dominated, especially on hard courts. She claimed four Grand Slam singles titles: the 2018 and 2020 US Opens, and the 2019 and 2021 Australian Opens. Her 2019 Australian Open win propelled her to World No. 1—the first Asian player to reach this feat. She held the top spot for 25 weeks in total.

Beyond the majors, she also won big titles at the 2018 Indian Wells and back-to-back victories at the 2019 Pan Pacific Open and Japan Open. These wins showed her consistent elite-level play and aggressive, powerful game that made her a formidable opponent.

She came back strong after giving birth to her daughter in July 2023. Naomi returned at the 2024 Brisbane International. Though she faced early exits, she bounced back with a quarterfinal run in Qatar and again at S-Hertogenbosch, NL! Her 2025 season may not be full of victories yet, but she’s catching up.

Compared to last year’s 5-5 win-loss record, she improved to 8-3 this year! That brought her career stats to 66 wins and 47 losses, a 58.41% winning percentage. While it’s still lower on clay compared to other surfaces, she’s not losing hope. After all, the season is long. Even her coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, still believes in her.

Naomi Osaka’s coach responds to her message after French Open loss

As she mentioned that she “hates disappointing people” during her post-match press conference, Naomi also shared a candid thought about her coach Patrick Mouratoglou’s journey. “Patrick goes from working with the greatest player ever—Serena [Williams]—to, like, ‘What the f*** is this?’ You know what I mean?” she said, expressing a mix of empathy and humor about the big transition he’s made. Mouratoglou is a legendary coach who guided Serena Williams for about 10 years—from 2012 to 2022. Under his leadership, Williams won 10 Grand Slam singles titles, two Olympic gold medals in 2012, and reclaimed the World No. 1 ranking.

Naomi joined forces with Patrick in September 2024 and was honest about her initial feelings. “I think the fact that he was Serena’s coach for me made me want to avoid him just because his persona is so big,” she admitted. But she clarified it wasn’t about being rude—she was unsure if he was a great coach on his own or just benefited from coaching an all-time great like Serena. After working with him on court, she changed her mind: “He absolutely is a really good coach. I’m really glad that he’s taking this project on, as well.”

Patrick responded to Naomi’s words with humility on Instagram. He took responsibility for not yet getting her to where she deserves to be. “You can be proud of yourself, Naomi. The effort, the work, the heart you put into this are amazing,” he wrote. “Considering all that, I haven’t been able to help bring you where you deserve to be. But I have no doubt this will pay off soon. It’s like building a house—you’ve laid the foundations, but until it’s complete, you can’t see the full beauty of the structure. To be continued…”

Though Naomi Osaka’s French Open run ended early, her season is far from over. She’s set to compete at the HSBC Championships starting in June. Will she bring renewed energy to the outdoor grass courts? We can’t wait to see. What do you think? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

The post Naomi Osaka Reclaims Her Grand Slam Flex Silencing French Open Crash appeared first on EssentiallySports.