The way in which phenomenal and achieved athletes’ minds work can usually catch common of us off-guard. How is it {that a} tennis participant like Naomi Osaka, a four-time Grand Slam champion and former world No. 1, would ever get to a spot the place she may query her capability?
It occurs on a regular basis, even with the all-time greats — a subset of the tennis species that Patrick Mouratoglou, the longtime coach and tennis media impresario, has spent most of his profession learning. He coached the perfect of the perfect, Serena Williams, on the scene of so lots of her best triumphs.
In September 2024, three-quarters of the way in which by means of her comeback season after giving beginning to her daughter, Shai, Osaka hired Mouratogou to replace Wim Fissette. Osaka had reunited with Fissette (who coached her between 2019 and 2022) the earlier summer season, to organize for her return to competitive tennis last January. At first, she was magnanimous in regards to the relationship between enchancment and consequence. When she got here inside a degree of beating Iga Swiatek at last year’s French Open, Osaka wasn’t down: “Clearly the outcomes aren’t ensuing proper now, however I feel I’m rising each match,” she mentioned in her information convention.
When the outcomes nonetheless didn’t end result, Osaka discovered herself once more struggling along with her confidence and determined to maneuver away from the coach with whom she gained two of these 4 Grand Slam titles.
Osaka, 27, hasn’t gained a title of any sort with Mouratoglou but, however she has come awfully shut. She needed to retire with an belly harm when she was up a set in opposition to Clara Tauson within the closing of the Auckland Traditional in New Zealand in January and she or he has performed her finest tennis since turning into a mom previously 5 months, when her physique has allowed her to take action.
“I simply needed to imagine in myself much more,” Osaka mentioned on the Australian Open after her second-round win over Karolina Muchova, one of many world’s most gifted gamers, who had eased past Osaka at the same stage of the U.S. Open 4 months prior. There in Melbourne, Osaka was speaking about coming again to win the final two units after shedding the primary 6-1, however she might have been speaking about how, when wholesome, she has rediscovered her swagger and her capability to take the racket out of her opponents’ arms.
That’s not an accident.
In an interview in February from Los Angeles, the place he and Osaka ready for her comeback from that belly harm, Mouratoglou mentioned they’ve been engaged on confronting these moments when she feels her perception slipping and on determining methods to beat them.
Patrick Mouratoglou with Naomi Osaka at January’s Australian Open. (David Grey / AFP by way of Getty Photos)
“You earn confidence with what you do on daily basis in apply,” Mouratoglou mentioned.
After two weeks of exhausting coaching, Osaka will attempt to deliver that swagger to the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells, Calif., this week.
Within the interview, Mouratoglou, 54, mentioned he expects nothing much less from Osaka, a participant he says involves the courtroom on daily basis with an open thoughts and a starvation to attempt something to get higher.
All the good ones do.
This dialog has been edited for readability and size.
GO DEEPER
Naomi Osaka and the gravity of a superstar at the U.S. Open
How is her harm feeling?
She has no ache anymore. We now have been serving, however slowly and progressively. She’s finished the work to attempt to ensure she doesn’t get harm once more.
What’s it prefer to work with gamers at her degree? How does she evaluate with Serena Williams?
I don’t evaluate anybody to Serena. It is vitally thrilling, due to her potential. She has the potential to win very many extra Slams. Her motivation could be very excessive. Tennis is a giant precedence and she or he is ready to come back again all the way in which.
How are you aware in case you are an excellent match along with her?
I don’t know if it’s an excellent match — all of the gamers are completely different, and as a coach you should adapt.
Is it any completely different if you find yourself teaching a famous person reasonably than a number of the gamers you’ve got labored with who are usually not at that degree?
It’s crucial whenever you work with a famous person that you simply do the identical as if the participant just isn’t a famous person. It is advisable discuss to an individual in a standard means, like she is a standard participant. After they obtain a lot they’ve certainties about what they do, however they need to be open sufficient to be taught and proceed to develop. That’s the place Naomi is. She actually needs to enhance. She’s actually taking the recommendation, and giving 100%. She just isn’t scared. That’s the champion’s mindset.
It’s fascinating you say that. I might have thought individuals who have gained a lot previously suppose they know do it once more.
They’re champions as a result of they’re doing what it takes to enhance; their capability to belief the individual working with them to inform them what to do and what it takes. That makes them champions.
Rafa (Nadal) and Novak (Djokovic), they went by means of so many technical adjustments. They see the game as a race. All people is bettering. That’s how Serena was seeing the world. If you happen to’re proud of what you’ve got and don’t attempt new issues, you may be overtaken by others. The progress comes from seeing which areas you may get higher with.
Why is Osaka higher now than she was final 12 months?
Her confidence is way increased. This comes from what she has finished at apply. She’s practising extraordinarily properly. She pushes herself. Her recreation has gained in consistency. A participant has to pay attention to how she is feeling, even when she feels she is shedding confidence. Earlier than, she didn’t specific it to herself. Many of the matches, she misplaced as a result of she stopped believing and this isn’t allowed.
We do apply matches. She is conscious of what she is feeling. We speak about it. We work on it within the second. It’s effective to have that feeling, it’s pure — there isn’t any disgrace in being nervous. We simply have to pay attention to it. It may well have an effect on you however it may possibly’t have an effect on you an excessive amount of — Novak will get super-nervous or indignant, however a very powerful factor is the power to come back again very quick. In any other case, you might be shedding factors and factors and factors. You’ve the suitable to develop into nervous and lose confidence, however not an excessive amount of and never for too lengthy.
You don’t discuss a lot throughout matches apart from small messages of encouragement. Why?
There’s not a lot to say, until I see she just isn’t following the plan a method or one other. The match, we put together it earlier than. The one factor I can do is to assist her.
Within the Muchova match in Melbourne, Muchova was enjoying nice and Naomi was struggling to get to her degree. I’ve seen that previously 12 months. I discovered that when she was in hassle, her confidence degree would drop lots and the sport was affected.
Her first match in China, she had misplaced 20 matches in a row when she had misplaced the primary set. This time, she didn’t let what was taking place on the courtroom play along with her thoughts. It’s unimaginable to not be affected by the rating. They have to be affected by the rating. How a lot it impacts you and does it have an effect on you in a means that may hurt you is the query. You wish to be affected however keep underneath management. Maintain believing in what you might be doing.
Is that what she did in opposition to Muchova?
She stayed mentally there. You don’t go away. No person performs completely from the primary level to the final.
While you coached Serena, you went up in opposition to Osaka. Did you share your previous recreation plans along with her?
No. You don’t wish to reinforce the spots which are weaker. I additionally don’t suppose you win by bettering your errors a lot. You put together options, and also you make your sturdy factors higher. If somebody has an excellent recreation plan to beat Jannik Sinner, I want to see it. Gamers at that degree, it’s important to catch them on a sure day when there are weak spots.
I need my gamers to know flip their strengths into weapons: ‘What’s my participant’s recreation model and the way do they win factors?’.
So what are Osaka’s strengths at this level that ought to be her weapons?
When she is on the prime of the sport, she performs quicker than anybody. She makes it very tough to arrange a degree in opposition to her. She comes again to you with the ball in such a short while. When the ball touches the racket, it goes so quick to the opposite facet of the web, and she or he could be very correct with hitting her spots.
She additionally has large room for enchancment. She will be able to return higher, be extra aggressive on the second serve, take time away from the opponent higher. The great factor is that she is extraordinarily open to new concepts. I instructed her what I assumed after I arrived and she or he instructed me she was very excited to get to work as a result of she believed she was going to be taught new issues.
Naomi Osaka holds the Australian Open trophy after the 2019 closing. (Getty Photos)
Is that what the perfect ones inform you?
Completely. They neglect what they’ve achieved one minute after they obtain it. Serena finishes 2012 profitable Wimbledon and the U.S. Open and the Olympics and the WTA Tour Finals. She’s strolling off the courtroom and tells me to give you a plan for her to win the French Open. She says, “I’ve been chasing it for 10 years. I wish to win Roland Garros, make a plan for me to win it.” (Williams gained the 2013 French Open.)
The previous is the previous. It’s vital not to have a look at the previous. ‘Let’s transfer on. All the time deal with the journey, the place we wish to go’. That’s Naomi proper now. She’s very bold. She believes her story continues to be to be written. That’s vital, as a result of whenever you maintain a trophy it solely lasts a couple of minutes. It’s a must to be enthusiastic about what’s subsequent.
What has modified about tennis lately?
Usually, the health degree has improved lots. It’s straightforward to elucidate. The entire prime gamers journey with a health coach and physiotherapist. It was not true earlier than. The motion of the gamers is so a lot better. On the ladies’s facet, (Aryna) Sabalenka, for her top, is shifting so properly. After which Iga (Swiatek) and Coco (Gauff).
(Carlos) Alcaraz, Sinner, it’s loopy how they transfer on the courtroom. Even somebody like Tomas Machac. So it’s more durable to hit winners, to get the ball by means of the courtroom. If Naomi retains evolving as she is, she’s going to have the ability to hit as many winners once more.
Naomi mentioned she didn’t know in the event you would truly be an excellent coach, since you had coached Serena and she or he puzzled whether or not Serena even wanted teaching. Others generally query how a lot impression you’ve got if you find yourself teaching these all-time greats? How does that have an effect on you?
Individuals who say that don’t know what they’re speaking about. If I coach Naomi and she or he doesn’t do one thing properly, I’m going to listen to about it. I take no particular pleasure in teaching champions. For me, if I don’t deliver her to her prime degree, I didn’t do an excellent job.
(High photograph: David Grey / AFP by way of Getty Photos)
