Naomi Osaka's coach Patrick Mouratoglou makes feelings known on Japanese star's Australian Open injury heartbreak

Naomi Osaka's coach Patrick Mouratoglou has shared his thoughts after the four-time Grand Slam champion withdrew mid-match from the 2025 Australian Open. The Japanese player was struggling with an abdominal injury for some weeks and decided to prioritize her health.

Osaka was playing Belinda Bencic in the third round on January 17, and after taking a 4-1 lead early in the first set, she started experiencing problems in her stomach. The 27-year-old called for a physio and continued afterward but eventually lost the set before deciding to retire.

She had to withdraw from the ASB Classic Finals earlier this month as well due to an abdominal injury and as per her coach, the former World No.1 hadn't fully recovered before the start of the Australian Open. Sharing his thoughts in an Instagram post, Mouratoglou said it was sad to finish the tournament in such an unfortunate way.

"Sad to finish a tournament this way, even more a Grand Slam. You did everything you could fighting with injury since round 1. You can be proud of yourself @naomiosaka. Let’s take the time to heal and come back even stronger!," he wrote

Osaka has struggled with form and injuries since returning from maternity leave last year and was eliminated from the first round of the 2024 Australian Open. She later suffered second-round exits at the French Open, Wimbledon and US Open.

The two-time Australian Open champion hired Patrick Mouratoglou, who has formerly coached Serena Williams, in September 2024, and made a great start to the current season at the ASB Classic before her injury in the final. The 27-year-old secured impressive victories over Caroline Garcia and Karolína Muchova in the first and second rounds of the ongoing Australian Open before another injury heartbreak on Friday.

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Naomi Osaka could be headed for retirement if 'results don't improve'

2025 Australian Open -Naomi Osaka in action - Source: Getty

Speaking with the reporters ahead of the start of her season at the ASB Classic, Naomi Osaka claimed she wouldn't play tennis if the results didn't go her way.

"I don't think I'm the type of player that would hang around. I have a lot of respect for all the players on tour, but the point of my life that I'm at right now, if I'm not above a certain ranking, I don't see myself playing for a while," she said

Osaka made a massive jump in the rankings in 2024 after a 15-month maternity break, becoming World No. 57 at the end of the season after being unranked at the start. However, the 27-year-old isn't content with her ranking, and said she would rather spend the time with her daughter.

"I'd rather spend time with my daughter if I'm not where I think I should be and where I feel like I can be," Naomi Osaka added

Osaka showed signs of improvement, with impressive runs at the ASB Classic and the Australian Open before injuries came her way, and she is very likely to return to the competition after healing from the stomach injury.