"There's going to be real beef" - Naomi Osaka takes yet another swipe at UCLA authorities over parking woes during preseason practice

Naomi Osaka warned she would have a real grouse if the UCLA parking lot authority handed her a ticket. Having started her preseason training with her new coach Patrick Mouratoglou on the University campus, Osaka called out the flaws in the UCLA parking facilities for the second time.

Osaka had a couple of disappointing finishes in 2024, even exiting early from the four Grand Slam tournaments. Her outdoor hardcourt stint at the China Open also ended in the fourth round in the wake of a back injury. The former World No. 1 announced in October that she would end her season.

Shortly after, Osaka vacationed in the Cayman Islands, a British Overseas Territory in the western Caribbean Sea, and graced the red carpet of the GQ Men of the Year event on November 19 in rodeo-inspired outfits.

The former World No.1 recently updated about the commencement of her preseason training with her new coach, Patrick Mouratoglou at the University of California's campus. In a recent Instagram story, she shared a video of her walking from the court to the UCLA parking lot, voicing that she would get into an argument if charged for parking since the system previously made paying difficult for her.

"Practise is over. I’m hoping I don’t get a ticket. In all honesty, I’m walking to the parking lot and if I have the ticket, there’s gonna be some real beef because I even put a note. They don’t even let you pay for parking. I tried online parking and I tried the physical ticket machine," she said in the video.

Naomi Osaka expresses concern over UCLA's parking lot flaws; Instagram - @naomiosaka

She expressed frustration in a Threads post from a day ago that read:

"Why does UCLA make it impossible to pay for parking on their parking lots??? It’s almost like you want to give me a ticket even though I’m trying to pay."

Post by @naomiosaka

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Her coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, previously trained the legendary Serena Williams from 2012 till the latter retired from the sport in 2022.

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Naomi Osaka expressed gratitude after surviving her first preseason training

Naomi Osaka during her interview at the 2024 China Open - (Source: Getty)

The four-time Grand Slam winner posted a carousel of her first preseason training with coach Patrick Mouratoglou on her Instagram handle. Though seemingly exhausted, Naomi Osaka was grateful to have survived the session. One of her slides had a video of her saying:

"We have survived... I'm making a video of how we've survived the first day of preseason. I'm alive. I'm very grateful."

Her post caption read:

"It’s giving “call the ambulance"

She further posted a similar update on her Threads handle, wondering how she completed her first preseason training session when she thought it was over for her.

"Just finished the first practice of preseason. I thought it was over for me."

Post by @naomiosaka

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Naomi Osaka was the first player of Asian descent to hold the top ranking in singles. She and her partner Cordae welcomed their first-born daughter Shai in July 2023.