'Not Most Talented' Osaka Details Impact Of New Coach Mouratoglou On Early 2025 Success
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Naomi Osaka started the 2025 season very successfully, and there were many positives she talked about after her most recent win at the ASB Classic in Auckland.
The Japanese player had a relatively successful 2024 season, but it fell short of her expectations. Osaka saw herself challenging for the biggest titles again, but the reality was that she never made it past the quarter-final stage last year.
This year, she will have a chance to get past that hurdle already at her first tournament, which is the WTA 250 event in Auckland. The 27-year-old player started her new season with an easy win over Israeli's Lina Glushko, even though her match was interrupted by protesters.
In the second round, the four-time major winner bested Julia Grabher, 7-5, 6-3, to reach the quarter-final of the 2025 ASB Classic in Auckland, which gives her a chance to reach her first semi-final as a mother.
Speaking after her win, Osaka reflected on how she wanted to be in the position that she is now only a few months ago, which made her really happy and proud of her journey.
"I think there are moments where it's really difficult, where I do get down on myself. But then I think today, I realized I was pregnant not so long ago, and I just really wanted the opportunity to play again, and now I'm finally here, and I'm putting up really good fights, and I hope that I can just keep continuing this way."
Osaka appointed coach Patrick Mouratoglou last year, and she spoke also about his influence. Her second-round match was interrupted by a rain delay, and the Frenchman was able to help her with some important insight during that delay.
"I think for me, it's about trust. I don't really talk too much when I first meet a person, but obviously, as the weeks, the days and the matches go by, we talk more and more and we build a better relationship. So during the little rain delay, he just had two points for me that were very clear, and I was really grateful for that."
Despite being a former WTA World No. 1 player and a four-time major winner, Osaka called herself "not the most talented player" during the post-match interview.
However, she didn't want to talk negatively about herself, quite the opposite. Osaka wanted to emphasize that she is a hard worker, which helps her on the tennis courts.
"I'm not the most talented player, but I always felt like I work the hardest, and that gives me a lot of confidence. But then it's trying to go into a fistfight with another person and in the end, it's who wants it more."
"I think last year, it was really difficult for me to get that mindset, and you could see that in a lot of my matches. “I think the tennis was there throughout the whole entire year, but it was more of a mindset thing. And I think now here, I think I'm ready for the battles."
Her semi-final opponent at the 2025 ASB Classic will be the winner of the match between Hailey Baptiste and Jodie Burrage, both of which are ranked lower than the Japanese player.
On top of that, should Osaka make it to the semi-finals, her opponent also won't be ranked higher, as the highest-ranked player in that section of the draw is Katie Volynets, who entered the event ranked one position below the former World No. 1.
