Just a few weeks ago, Naomi Osaka announced her resurgence by clinching her first WTA title since becoming a mother (in July 2023). Osaka defeated Slovakia’s Kaja Juvan by 6-1,7-5 in the final of the WTA 125K Saint-Malo, FR, and guess what? It was her first WTA title since her historic triumph at the 2021 Australian Open. Following that victory, she shared a post X handle writing, “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.” Despite having gone through a “turbulent” journey, she claimed it’s also really “fun” to finally get her hands on a title. But that “fun” didn’t last long, and she faced an early exit in Rome, and now, her journey at the 2025 French Open also comes to an early end. What did she say after her recent exit from Roland Garros?

At the Italian Open, she was supposed to play against Paula Badosa in her Round of 64 match, but the Spaniard pulled out of that match due to her injury. Now, after seeing her draw at the French Open, Osaka said, “I was supposed to play her in Rome but she was injured, so I didn’t get to play her, but I was really looking forward to it because I know she’s a good player.“ Although she started her first-round match against Badosa strongly by clinching the first set by 7-6(1), the Spaniard came back strongly, winning the next two sets. Hence, the match ended in favor of the former world number 2 by 6(1)-7,6-1,6-4.

Naomi Osaka’s stunning Sakura-themed outfit was overshadowed by this defeat! Talking about her performance in this match, the Japanese star finished with exactly twice as many unforced errors as Paula Badosa. (Badosa saved six of eight break points and finished with an even 27 winners to 27 unforced errors, while it was 36 winners and 54 errors for Osaka.) With this defeat, Osaka now has a 0-6 record against the Top 10 opponents on clay. After this disappointing result, she looked quite upset during the press conference, having tears in her eyes as she said, “As time goes on I feel like I should be doing better. I hate disappointing people. Even Patrick, who came from working with the best players (…)“

Talking about her coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, well, the Frenchman joined her team in September 2024. Talking about this new addition at that time, Naomi Osaka had said that she felt like she needed a change and described Mouratoglou (best known for being the long-time coach of Serena Williams) as “a big persona.” As per Osaka, “Patrick seemed like the guy with I guess the information that I wanted to learn from.”

Recently, when she found success in Saint-Malo, the Frenchman commented on her Instagram post, saying, “I am so proud of you!” Before the French Open, he was also spotted putting in efforts to improve her forehand on clay. But as things stand as of now, it seems it’s back to basics for the four-time Grand Slam champion, ahead of the grass swing. What did her opponent, Paula Badosa, say, though, after this match?

Paula Badosa shares her thoughts about this draw against Naomi Osaka

Both these players have spent quite a significant time on the sidelines due to multiple reasons in the last few years. Naomi Osaka’s most recent success at a major tournament came at the 2021 AO. So, it has been more than four years now. Despite having clinched four major titles, she has struggled on non-hard court surfaces throughout her career. Her best record at the French Open was reaching the third round thrice (2016,2018,2019). 

So, before the Roland Garros, she was heard saying, “For me, Slams are the best tournaments. There are only four of them, and I feel like that’s where everyone plays the best, and that’s where everyone kind of feels all the energy. So, it’s going to be really exciting.” Unfortunately for her, Paula Badosa played her best game in the first round and defeated her in that match. Next up for Badosa will be either McCartney Kessler or Elena Gabriela.

However, before the next match, the Spaniard shared her thoughts about this epic battle by saying that the first set was “very high level“, but the third set was “very, very high level.” She feels it’s not fair to have a first-round like this, “When I saw the draw.. I was really looking forward to playing Naomi. She’s a player I respect a lot, for what she did on and off court. I love her tennis. So I was excited. Honestly, it’s not fair to play her first round. But I’m really happy with the level, especially coming from an injury.” Now, since she has got off to a winning start on Parisian clay, how far do you think Paula Badosa can reach at the 2025 French Open?