"Comparison to Serena Williams is unrealistic" - Fans react to Naomi Osaka's emotional admission about disappointing coach after French Open exit

Naomi Osaka emotionally brought up the now-retired Serena Williams after her heartbreaking first-round loss to Paula Badosa at the 2025 French Open. Osaka felt she disappointed her coach Patrick Mouratoglou with her performance, and wondered if the veteran French coach compared her to Williams, his former pupil. This admission sparked a variety of reactions from tennis fans.

Patrick Mouratoglou became Serena Williams' coach in 2012 and remained in the role for a decade, guiding the legendary American to ten singles Major titles and helping her reclaim the WTA No. 1 ranking. The French coach's collaboration with Naomi Osaka began in September last year, and it has shown glimpses of promise as far as the Japanese's chances of getting back to her best are concerned.

Unfortunately though, at the 2025 French Open, Naomi Osaka's campaign came to an early end, as Paula Badosa registered a Rafael Nadal-inspired 6-7(1), 6-1, 6-4 comeback victory against the former No. 1 and four-time Grand Slam champion. At her post-match press conference, the Japanese was quite critical of herself, and at one point, she said:

"I hate disappointing people. Even with Patrick I was thinking just now that he goes from working with like the greatest player ever to like… what the f*** this is?"

Several fans on X (formerly Twitter) disagreed with Naomi Osaka's take, with some suggesting that the Japanese, despite her undeniable on-court abilities, is nowhere near the level that Serena Williams produced consistently throughout her stellar career.

"Serena was great BEFORE Patrick. At 27 years old, she already had 35 WTA titles, 13 Grand Slam singles titles, 4 Olympic gold medals and the career grandslam (by age 22). Serena started to work with Patrick at the age of 30. Naomi is 27 years old and has 4 slams with 7 titles overall. The comparison to Serena is unrealistic. No active player...not even Sabalenka has records even close to the female GOAT. Naomi needs to take this pressure off of herself," a fan wrote.

"Why Naomi keeps comparing herself to Serena? she should focus on her own game because there is a lot to learn and improve," commented another.

"It’s sad she feels that way. I thought she’d come back after motherhood and pick right back up just because she is younger. This makes what Serena did look even more unimaginable," another fan chimed in.

There were others who empathized with the Japanese and suggested certain things that may help her rediscover her finest form.

"That hit hard. Naomi still has that fire. She needs space. Doubt is part of the game. This is not the end. Time resets the mind," opined one fan.

"She’s her own worst enemy.She suffers from FEAR of being at the top. She has the ability, she even got to the top & then she mentally shut down.She really needs a good psychologist to help her - one that can really get through to her that she is WORTHY of success," another added.

"Her brand is so big from her early success that it's hard to rekindle the same fire she had before the world knew her. She's gonna have to let go of everything else in her life outside tennis practice if she ever wants to get back on top. It's difficult when you're so comfortable financially. If she never plays another match she's wealthy. She has to commit relentlessly to get back on top," weighed in yet another fan.

Paula Badosa also had kind words for Naomi Osaka in the aftermath of their first-round clash at the 2025 French Open.

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"Naomi Osaka's going to be where she wants to be" - Paula Badosa after French Open 1R win over Japanese

In Picture: Paula Badosa (Source: Getty)

According to Paula Badosa, Naomi Osaka was dealt a tough draw at this year's Roland Garros. The Spaniard also felt the Japanese was unlucky to lose the pair's first-round match. Badosa encouragingly predicted that the former No. 1 would be back to her best in the near future.

"I have to be honest, it’s not fair to have a first round like this.. For her, in this case, that she lost… she’s playing very good tennis. Very, very soon, she’s going to be where she wants to be," Badosa said during a post-match press conference.

Naomi Osaka is yet to confirm where she will play next after her early exit from the 2025 French Open. All in all, the Japanese's Roland Garros outing was a significant blow for her confidence, which she had boosted ahead of the claycourt Major by winning a WTA 125-level title and then reaching the fourth round of the Italian Open.