Ever since Naomi Osaka picked up the Tennis racket, she looked up to Serena Williams. For Osaka, Williams is her role model. The Japanese star even stated, “I feel like for me growing up I’ve seen Serena do so many amazing things and it’s kind of made me want to do the same things as well.” Clearly, the 27-year-old always wanted to follow in the footsteps of ReRe. Hence, when Osaka had to exit from the first round of the 2025 French Open, she was disappointed. She was heartbroken, not solely because of her early exit, but because she felt that she couldn’t mirror the work of her idol.

“As time goes on, I feel like I should be doing better. I hate disappointing people,” Naomi Osaka said after her heartbroken French Open exit. Following her maiden clay title win in Saint-Malo, the four-time slam queen had the form with her going into the second major of the season. However, Spain’s Paula Badosa stunned her in a three-setter on the Philippe-Chatrier court. It seems the impact of this defeat has been massive on Osaka. Especially on the psychological level, as she thought that she had disappointed her trainer, Patrick Mouratoglou. Not to mention, Mouratoglou also coached the 23-time slam champion Serena Williams for about 10 years, and together the pair won 11 Grand Slam titles, a gold medal and three straight WTA finals.

However, in a way of apologizing to Mouratoglou, Osaka revealed that her performance was contrary to his expectations. Sharing a candid take on her journey with Mouratoglou since last season (joined in September 2024), the Japanese star said, “Patrick goes from working with the greatest player ever — Serena (Williams) — to, like, ‘What the f*** is this?’ You know what I mean?”

Post her confession, former WTA pro, Rennae Stubbs has revealed a concerning take on Osaka’s reaction. In an episode of her podcast, dated May 27, the ex-Aussie pro shared her unfiltered take. “One thing that is interesting about that Naomi Osaka thing that I wanted to talk about earlier was, she went into press and was very upset after the match and cried, and you know, got emotional about her loss. And I thought it was really interesting that she said, you know, something about Patrick Mouratoglou. She said, essentially, you know, here he was coaching like the greatest player of all time, and now I can’t win a match kind of thing.”

Stubbs couldn’t believe that this “was her mindset” after the French Open setback. “And I was like, ‘Honey, if you’re worrying about what your coach is thinking, and poor him because you’re not winning matches.’”

“She said ‘I feel like I’ve let everybody down’. And I’m like, ‘Oh my God!’ First of all, I would be like, I don’t f*****g matter if I’m the coach. I’m like, ‘I don’t f*****g matter. It’s got nothing to do with me. You’re still paying me, maybe. Like, I love what I’m doing. You’re doing great. We’re fine. Don’t worry about me.’ Like the fact that she’s even thinking that is crazy.”

Considering Osaka’s admission regarding Mouratoglou, Stubbs believes “it was a bad idea for her (Osaka) to hire him.” Why? “Because I think honestly, the reason she hired him, because he was Serena’s coach and she admired and has looked up to Serena her whole life and wants to be like Serena and play like Serena and the whole thing.” Mouratoglou coached Williams for a decade (2012 to 2022). During this phase, she won 10 slam titles, two Olympic gold medals and reclaimed her No.1 spot in the rankings.

As per Stubbs, maybe Osaka was thinking that “he’s going to turn her into Serena. That’s crazy. You have to think about yourself.” Concluding her remarks, the ex-WTA legend said, “don’t worry about what everybody else is thinking about you or you’re letting everyone down. That was crazy for me to hear. I never heard a player say, ‘Oh, I feel bad for my coach. I’m letting him down.’ Like, what? No, that’s weird.”

It seems Naomi Osaka will take some time to forget what happened in Paris this week. However, she still managed to take out some positives from her short stint. Especially when it comes to how she carried herself on the court.

Naomi Osaka tries to stay afloat despite French Open loss

Naomi Osaka is known for her attractive attire across the majors. Remember how she unveiled a custom outfit for the 2024 Australian Open campaign? Thanks to her brand partner Nike, the Japanese star flaunted a black, sleeveless dress. It had a white stripe running across a blocked pattern.

For the French Open, this week, Osaka came up with a pink-sakura-themed Nike kit. She sported it during the first round match against Badosa, where Osaka looked to be in great touch after snatching the first set against Badosa. However, it was a hard-earned victory in a tiebreak. But the next two sets went to the Spaniard. She completely dominated Osaka and moved into the second round with a final score line of 6-7, 6-1, 6-4.

While she hoped to extend her stylish appearance in Paris, it didn’t happen unfortunately. While she was disappointed with the outcome, the Japanese pro still expressed her gratitude to Nike for letting her flaunt yet another stunning on-court look.

Taking to her Instagram account, on May 27, Osaka 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.”

Continuing further she added, “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.”

While her quest for a fifth slam is over for now, she will get another chance at the Wimbledon in July. Before that, however, Osaka will be seen competing at the HSBC Championships next month. Do you think she will regain her momentum ahead of the third slam in 2025? Let us know in the comments below.