Naomi Osaka shares what Patrick Mouratoglou told before her match vs Caroline Garcia which was key to her winning

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Naomi Osaka enacted revenge on Caroline Garcia as she progressed into the second round of the Australian Open.

Former WTA number four Garcia beat former number one Osaka at the same stage of the Australian Open in 2024.

Garcia joked with Osaka about the draw before their latest clash, which the four-time Grand Slam champion won 6-3, 3-6, 6-3.

Osaka enjoyed a WTA rankings rise ahead of the first Grand Slam of the season, which she has won on two occasions.

The 27-year-old is now 51st in the rankings, having made her Grand Slam return this time last year following the birth of her daughter.

Patrick Mouratoglou serving tips on Caroline Garcia help secure Naomi Osaka win

But Osaka refused to suffer the same fate against Garcia this time around, with the victor explaining in her post-match press conference the key role that her coach Patrick Mouratoglou played in the win.

“Yeah, it is interesting because I remember the last couple times I played Caroline, her serve was overwhelming me a lot,” she said.

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“Today it felt a little more breezy. I think in that way Patrick helped me a lot because he gave me quite a couple tips, and I just had to apply them.

“It suddenly became a little predictable. Yeah, honestly I would owe that to him. Yeah, it was like specific tips against her serve.”

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Osaka and Garcia have gotten to know each other very well in recent times, having now met four times in WTA action.

Fittingly, they each have two wins, with the duo having also faced off in Osaka’s successful 2021 Australian Open run.

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She understandably struggled in the early stages of her return last year, but has seemingly taken huge strides under Mouratoglou.

Having skipped all the Grand Slams in 2023, that disappointing 2024 Australian Open first round exit was followed by second round exits at the French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open.

It remains to be seen if she can make it back to her very best under Mouratoglou, but Osaka will, of course, always have those fantastic four Grand Slam titles to her name.

Serena Williams and Victoria Azarenka were overcome at the US Open in 2018 and 2020 respectively, with Petra Kvitova and Jennifer Brady beaten at the Australian Open in 2019 and 2021 respectively.