Ever since giving birth to her daughter, Shai, in July 2023, the most difficult thing for Naomi Osaka has been leaving her during the Tour. Previously, while talking about this, she said, “If I think about it too much, it makes me sad. But I also don’t want her to be on an airplane for so long because she’s still very young.” According to the Japanese tennis star, “freedom” is more like spending time with her daughter and seeing joy in her eyes. Hence, she often finds ways to sneak a moment or two to meet her little kid. Recently, after securing a hard-fought victory against the Swiss, Viktorija Golubic in the R64 of the Italian Open, Osaka revealed how she found herself thinking about Shai during a tight situation in the match. She also spoke about how her coach could react after hearing this “terrible” thought in the middle of a crucial match.

Last year in December, during an interview, Naomi Osaka spoke about how her priorities have shifted for her ever since the birth of her daughter. She revealed, “I don’t think I’m the type of player that would hang around. I have a lot of respect for all the players on tour, but the point of my life that I’m at right now if I’m not above a certain ranking, I don’t see myself playing for a while. I’d rather spend time with my daughter if I’m not where I think I should be and where I feel like I can be.” Talking about fulfilling her desires on the court, well, Osaka recently won the L’Open 35 de Saint-Malo, and with this, she also clinched her first WTA crown since becoming a mother in July 2023.

Following that impressive title triumph, Osaka got off to a winning start at the Italian Open by defeating Sara Errani in the R128. After that, she was supposed to take on Paula Badosa in her next match, but the Spaniard pulled out of that match due to an injury in the very last minute. Speaking on this withdrawal, Osaka admitted, “I didn’t know lucky losers could replace seeds, so I thought if she pulled out, I’d get a walkover.” But she had to face Golubic instead. The Swiss secured the first set by 6-2 and showcased a strong performance in the second as well. However, eventually, Naomi Osaka managed to seal the deal at 2-6,7-5,6-1. Highlighting the nervy moments in these matches, Osaka revealed, “I thought, if I could get a flight at midnight, I could beat the time zone and come back with a week before the French Open.“

She was perhaps reminded about her “ultimate motivator” in this tricky situation of the match. But later on in the interview, she added, “It’s a really terrible way of thinking and if [coach] Patrick [Mouratoglou] reads this, he’s going to be pissed. But I’m glad I was able to switch my train of thought before that happened.“

The 54-year-old Frenchman is a well-known figure in the tennis world. He has coached the likes of several superstars, including Marcos Baghdatis, Laura Robson, Grigor Dimitrov, Serena Williams, and several others. He joined Osaka’s team in September 2024 after the departure of Wim Fissette. Patrick Mouratoglou has previously cited Naomi Osaka’s unmatched dedication as the reason behind joining hands with her. “I’m very motivated because I feel her motivation to come back and to do great things again,” he said in a previous interview.

Patrick Mouratoglou has seen her ups and downs closely in recent months. But what are the chances that he has brought into her game recently?

Is Patrick Mouratoglou’s recent changes in Naomi Osaka’s game the real reason behind her recent success on clay?

Naomi Osaka didn’t have a great start to her clay-court campaign this year. She made an early exit from the Madrid Open. But with her 6-1,7-5 win over Kaja Juvan in the final of the WTA 125K Saint-Malo, FR, she has also secured her first WTA title since triumphing at the 2021 AO. In fact, it’s also her first-ever title on clay. Speaking about this win, Osaka shared a post on Social media saying, “Kinda ironic to win my first trophy back on the surface that I thought was my worst. That’s one of my favorite things about life, though, there’s always room to grow and evolve. Thanks to everyone accompanying me on this journey, I know it’s turbulent, but it’s also really fun and I’m grateful.“

Later on, she revealed, that her decision to play in Saint-Malo was inspired by American legend, Andre Agassi, who rebuilt his career in the late 1990s by competing on the ATP Challenger Tour. Clay has never been her favorite surface; however, with this title triumph, she said she is now “more comfortable on clay” and also feels like clay is very strength-reliant.

Osaka is now on a seven-match winning streak, but what are the changes that she has brought recently to her game? Recently, her coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, shared a video clip on his social media account where the duo was spotted putting in efforts to improve her forehand on clay. In that video, the coach was heard saying, “Imagine there is a nail here, and during the hit, it doesn’t move. It’s easy to be accurate when nothing moves. Stay here [low], let the hand do the job. If the leg, the shoulder, everything is moving, it’s very difficult.”

After a few tries, when Naomi Osaka excelled at that technique and then Mouratoglou told her, “Look at the sound, even the sound of the ball. I think no more explanation [is needed], because you got it. The quality of the ball is day and night.” However, despite these efforts, Naomi Osaka committed a few errors as she struggled to control her opponent’s slice in the first set. Can she come up with a better implementation in her next match, though? Let’s see!