“Patrick goes from working with, like, the greatest player ever to, like… what the f*?” — Osaka, in tears, blames herself after first-round loss
Naomi Osaka broke down in tears during a brief and emotional press conference following her first-round defeat at Roland-Garros
Naomi Osaka, Roland-Garros 2025 | © Julien Nouet / Tennis Majors
At the very moment Naomi Osaka stepped into the main interview room, the woman who had just beaten her, Paula Badosa, was saying: “Naomi lost, but she played very good tennis. I’m sure she’ll be where she wants to be very soon.”
Unfortunately, those reassuring words didn’t reach Osaka in time. Visibly devastated by the match, she appeared deeply affected by the loss conceded at Roland-Garros — only the sixth first-round Grand Slam defeat of her career. The tears came when she was asked, “Are losses harder now than they used to be?”
She responded: “I think as time goes on, I feel like I should be doing better. But also—and I’ve talked about this before, maybe a couple of years ago, or maybe recently—I hate disappointing people. So, like, even with Patrick [Mouratoglou, her coach], I was just thinking about this… He goes from working with, like, the greatest player ever—Serena [Williams]—to, like, ‘What the f** is this?’ You know what I mean? Sorry for cursing—I hope I don’t get fined.”
Osaka : “I feel like I learn a little something from every match”
WTA officials offered her a short break, which she accepted before returning to the media room, trying to find some positives in the experience.
“I feel like I learn a little something from every match,” she said. “I lost the tiebreak in Rome (vs. Stearns, editor’s note), but I didn’t lose it here. So, I am aware of things when I’m playing. Maybe in my next match, I’ll take some of those lessons with me.”
Still stunned by the early exit, Osaka admitted: “I wasn’t really expecting to lose in the first round, so now I’ll have to figure out my grass-court season. I’m not exactly sure about my schedule yet, but I am excited to play my first match when the time comes.”
She also explained why she called for the physio during the match: “I’ve been getting blisters on my hands—I think it’s from the friction on clay, because I don’t get them on any other surface. But I’m kind of used to it now; I had to call the physio in Rome too.”
Reflecting on the match itself, Osaka said: “I think she was probably more aggressive or something. That’s a mistake I’ve made in my last two matches—something I’m trying to fix. But yeah… it was a tough match.”
