"I thought it was over for me"- Naomi Osaka makes her feelings known; shares glimpses of 1st preseason practice with new coach Patrick Mouratouglou

Naomi Osaka has begun her pre-season preparations ahead of the 2025 season. The Japanese player had her first practice session with her new coach Patrick Mouratoglou.

Osaka was seen enjoying her off-season recently, visiting the Cayman Islands. She was also involved in promotional activities for her partner Cordae's new album. However, the former World No. 1 has now winded up her vacation time and decided to hit court once again.

The four-time Grand Slam Champion said that playing after such a long break was physically demanding, as the rigors of the sport became evident after an extended off-season.

"Just Finised the first practice of the preseason. I thought it was over for me," posted Osaka, (via Instagram).

Osaka will be looking to turn her fortunes around on-court, as she has begun a new coaching partnership with Patrick Mouratoglou. The French is one of the most prominent coaches in the world, with a major chunk of his fame coming from his long-term coaching collaboration with Serena Williams, arguably one of the biggest names in global tennis.

On the men's side, Mouratoglou has worked with the likes of Grigor Dimitrov, Stefanos Tsitsipas, and Holger Rune.

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"She really feels she has to give and do much more"- Patrick Mouratoglou on Naomi Osaka

In Picture: Naomi Osaka and Patrick Mouratoglou (Getty)

Patrick Mouratoglou stated that there was no shortage of motivation for Naomi Osaka to return to her best form and win a fifth Major title. The French coach felt that such high ambitions from a player made it an interesting prospect from the coaching perspective.

"She's extremely motivated to come back and win Grand Slams, and it's a pleasure for me because that's the dream of every coach: to have a player who has that level of motivation,” said Mouratoglou in an interview. (via the hansindia.com)

Mouratoglou said that Osaka has the desire to do more in the world of tennis.

"She really feels she has to give and do much more", added Mouratoglou (via hansindia.com)

Osaka returned to the WTA Tour this year after a nearly two-year hiatus due to maternity leave and a mental health break. Mouratoglou attributed her mediocre results in the 2024 season to these factors.

"First, she had this mental health issue, and then she had a baby. So she's been out, and then she restarted the year this season and it was not a very good season," added Mouratoglou.

She did not fare exceptionally on the Tour, as she had a modest 22-18 win/loss record. Her best result was a quarterfinal appearance at the Qatar Open, where she lost to Karolina Pliskova.