Osaka 'Will Be Competitive Straight Away' At Australian Open Says Mouratoglou

Sunday, 17 December 2023 at 04:25

byErik Virostko

Naomi Osaka is going to be one of the favorites or at least dark horses at any tournament that she enters on her comeback, and according to Patrick Mouratoglou, she's going to be competitive right away.

When a four-time Grand Slam champion and former world no. 1 in the WTA Rankings is coming back, other players have to be cautious as Osaka is capable of beating any player on the WTA Tour.

The question is whether she will be able to do it right away, or if it will take her some time before she finds her top level, but one thing is clear, and that's the fact that Osaka is motivated to come back.

According to renowned coach Patrick Mouratoglou, who spoke to Eurosport, the motivation comes from being away from the sport for too long. Osaka missed more than a year of action, and that grew the hunger in her, according to the Frenchman.

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"Sometimes when you are away from tennis, you realise how much you miss tennis and when you come back, you are even hungrier. So that's probably what happened to her being away for a very long time. Her game is huge. She has such a huge game, huge shots."

With confidence and hunger, Osaka will be able to win matches, and while many discuss when she'll be able to return to her top level, Mouratoglou has a very interesting take. According to the French coach, the Japanese player will be competitive "straight away."

"I think having the mindset, the will and the shots, she can really do some damage. She will be ready for the Australian Open. She will just lack matches. So we'll know quite fast if she's able to be competitive immediately or if she will need a bit more time to become competitive. But I feel she will be competitive straight away."