Naomi Osaka has two goals she would like to accomplish early in her partnership with coach Patrick Mouratoglou as the former world No. 1 hopes to finally end her title drought and also secure a seeding for the Australian Open.
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This week, the 26-year-old launched her first Beijing appearance since 2019 by overcoming Lucia Bronzetti 6-3 6-2 to set up a clash versus 21st-seeded Yulia Putintseva. In the past, the Japanese had two deep China Open runs after being a semifinalist in 2018 before taking home the main prize the following year.
And in her return to China's capital, Osaka - who beat Ashleigh Barty in the 2019 final at the tournament - seemingly had only good feelings. Since landing her fourth Grand Slam title at the 2021 Australian Open and also improving to seven titles, the former world No. 1 hasn't captured any trophies - which is something no one could have predicted back then.
Im glad that Im able to be able to play on this court again. And I hope to be able to lift a trophy again sometime soon," she said during her on-court interview.
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Osaka reveals her goal but also cracks a joke: I don't want Caroline Garcia again...
At the start of the Asian swing, she is ranked at No. 73 in the world but doesn't have a single point to defend since she missed the entire last season due to pregnancy. After the WTA 1000 tournament in Beijing, the 2019 China Open champion is planning on playing another tournament of that category in Wuhan and also appearing in some other tournaments in Asia - most notably, Tokyo.
And since she is on a turf home in this part of the world, the Japanese tennis star hopes she can do something special.
"I think for me the Asian swing is full of possibilities. I've always done really well at the end of the year. I always look forward to it. Especially with the two tournaments in Japan, for me it's kind of the time to dig deep and try to get really good results," Osaka said.
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By just winning her opening match at the WTA 1000 tournament in Beijing, she improved 11 spots in live rankings - which puts her on the cusp of returning inside the top-60. And if she makes a deep run, she could very easily already find herself ranked inside the top-30.
Earlier this year, the two-time Australian Open winner drew former world No. 4 Garcia in the first round at Melbourne Park and lost in straight sets. When Osaka returns to Australia in 2025, one of the things she definitely doesn't want is drawing a big name in the very first round.
"My goal now, I think to be seeded in Australia. I would really love that. I would love to avoid Caroline Garcia (smiling). Yeah, just being seeded. But not putting too much pressure on myself. I'm just trying to take it day by day," the Japanese noted.
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Osaka had certain doubts before hiring Mouratoglou but believes it was the right move
The moment the four-time Slam champion announced a split with coach Wim Fissette, rumors started swirling around that Serena Williams' ex long-time coach would be her next team member. And indeed, those rumors were confirmed after the duo arrived together in Beijing.
But before they struck a deal, the 26-year-old wondered if she could work with such a huge coaching name.
"I think the fact that he was Serena's coach for me made me want to avoid him just because his persona is so big. Then I met him, talked to him, worked with him on the court. He absolutely is a really good coach. I'm really glad that he's taking this project on as well," Osaka explained.
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For the former world No. 1, the goal in her post-pregnancy return has been clear since Day 1 - return to being one of the best in the world. And she hopes and thinks the French coach is the one who can make that happen.
"I like the way he coaches. I think it's going to be really interesting. I think I'm at a stage in my life that I don't want to have regrets. I'd rather pull the trigger on something and I don't want to say 'fail', but I feel like I really need to learn as much as possible in this stage of my career. Patrick seemed like the guy with I guess the information that I wanted to learn from. I try not to get into relationships with people for short-term. I try to think of it as a long-term commitment. I like the way he coaches. I think it's going to be really interesting," Osaka noted.
