Patrick Mouratoglou breaks his silence as he reacts to Naomi Osaka’s first-round exit at the French Open

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Naomi Osaka was hoping to advance to the second round of the French Open with a big win.

After losing her opening match on clay this year at the Madrid Open, Osaka went 8-1 on the surface ahead of Roland Garros.

She was, however, handed a tough draw in Paris, taking on Spain’s Paula Badosa in round one, a semi-finalist at the year’s first Grand Slam.

Coming up short, Osaka lost to Badosa, 7-6, 1-6, 4-6, exiting the French Open in devastating fashion.

After the match, the Japanese star was visibly upset, questioning what her coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, must’ve thought.

Mouratoglou has now broken his silence, sharing his thoughts on Osaka’s efforts in the French capital.

Patrick Mouratoglou says Naomi Osaka can be ‘proud of herself’ despite French Open exit

Taking to Instagram, the Frenchman gave his verdict on Osaka’s Roland Garros campaign, taking responsibility for her first-round exit.

“You can be proud of yourself Naomi Osaka,” said Mouratoglou.

“The efforts you make, the work and the heart you put in it are amazing.

“Considering all that, I haven’t been able to help bring you where you deserve to be.”

Mouratoglou insisted there is more to come from their partnership, as he looked ahead to the future.

“But I have no doubt, this will pay off soon. It is like a construction. You have built strong foundations, but until the building is over, we don’t see the real quality of the edifice,” he said.

“To be continued…”

Osaka also posted to social media, admitting her defeat to Badosa ‘really hurt’.

“I don’t know guys, I don’t have anything motivational to say for this one,” she said.

“I tried my best, but this one really hurts.

“Comforted by the fact that I’ll get referred to as a four-time Grand Slam winner and never a 2025 Roland Garros first rounder haha.

“Thank you to everyone for all the kind messages, I am extremely grateful.”

Naomi Osaka’s French Open struggles continue with Paula Badosa defeat

Roland Garros has been far from a happy hunting ground for Osaka over the years, as she has failed to reach the fourth round in eight visits to the French capital.

• 2025 French Open – Naomi Osaka lost in 1R to Paula Badosa
• 2024 French Open – Naomi Osaka lost in 2R to Iga Swiatek
• 2022 French Open – Naomi Osaka lost in 1R to Amanda Anisimova
• 2021 French Open – Naomi Osaka lost in 2R to Ana Bogdan (W/O)
• 2019 French Open – Naomi Osaka lost in 3R to Katerina Siniakova
• 2018 French Open – Naomi Osaka lost in 3R to Madison Keys
• 2017 French Open – Naomi Osaka lost in 1R to Alison Van Uytvanck
• 2016 French Open – Naomi Osaka lost in 3R to Simona Halep

In her defence, she has been given some fairly tricky draws, losing out to four-time champion Iga Swiatek in the second round of the 2024 French Open.

Regardless, the French Open is Osaka’s worst-performing Grand Slam event, as she has won just 53% of her matches in Paris to date.

Osaka will certainly look to improve her record at Wimbledon when she returns to Grand Slam tennis on the grass later in the summer.

How much longer will Patrick Mouratoglou continue to work with Naomi Osaka?

Mouratoglou said the story was ‘to be continued’ after Osaka’s Roland Garros exit, but how much longer will he persist as her coach if results don’t improve?

The Frenchman has coached several WTA and ATP players over the years, although most of those relationships lasted just a year or two.

One major exception was Serena Williams, whom Mouratoglou coached to ten Grand Slam titles between 2012 and 2022.

Osaka was likely referencing Williams when she responded to questions during her post-match press conference.

“With Patrick [Mouratoglou], I was thinking this just now… But he goes from working with the greatest player ever to, like, ‘What the f— this is?” she said.

It remains to be seen how long Osaka and Mouratoglou’s partnership will last, but it’ll certainly be something to look out for.

Osaka is next scheduled to appear at the Queen’s WTA 500 event, which begins on June 9.