Naomi Osaka afraid of coach Patrick Mouratoglou being 'pissed' over candid admission about daughter Shai at Italian Open

Naomi Osaka secured a third-round spot at the 2025 Italian Open with a win over Viktorija Golubic on Thursday, May 8. In a lighthearted moment after the win, Osaka shared how thoughts of her coach Patrick Mouratoglou's reaction kept her going and gave a glimpse of her life as a mother to her 1-year-old daughter Shai.

Osaka was initially set to clash with Paula Badosa, who pulled out minutes before the match due to her persistent lower back injury. The former was replaced by lucky loser Golubic, who took little time to take the opening set 6-2 off Osaka. The former World No. 1 was trailing 4-5 in the second set when she turned the tables on her opponent, eventually closing the match 2-6, 7-5, 6-1 in her favor.

The 4-time Grand Slam champion shared her thoughts with a group of reporters on court after the match. She admitted to feeling low when she realized that the match might be slipping away from her after losing the opening set.

"I was like, I wonder if I can get on a flight, like, at midnight or something, and then beat the time zone (jet lag), and then come back, like, with a week for French Open, which is, like, a really terrible way of thinking," she said.

Osaka brought out her winning mindset and shared how she pivoted later in the match.

"And I know if Patrick reads this, he’s gonna be pissed, but, like, yeah. I think for me, obviously, I’m really glad that I was able to, I guess, switch my train of thought, before that happened," she added.

Osaka also candidly shared her post-match plans.

"I always call my daughter immediately, and she always hangs up on me. So it’s a little sad, but, yeah, I call my daughter, get some food, probably walk around, and write. I like writing," she said.

Naomi Osaka will next play Marie Bouzkova in the third round of the 2025 Italian Open on Saturday, May 10.

Naomi Osaka extends winning streak on clay with R2 Italian Open win

Naomi Osaka at the 2025 Italian Open. Image: Getty

Naomi Osaka began her 2025 clay season with an opening-round loss at the Madrid Open. The Japanese-American took the decision to compete at the Challenger circuit and entered Saint-Malo to find her form on the surface.

Osaka won four matches en route to the final, where she defeated Kaja Juvan to win the Saint-Malo title. She extended her winning streak on clay to seven with a second-round win over Viktorija Golubic at the ongoing Italian Open.

In an interview after the win, Osaka expressed her delight at performing well on clay and hoped to continue winning.

"I just want to win. I want to win tournaments that I’ve never won before. I want to do well on clay. I I want to set myself up for a really good end of the year, which is my favourite part of the year. So I’d love to be seeded by then. And I really love Rome. I do want to try to be here as long as possible."

It was Naomi Osaka's seventh win in ten days with her opening round win at Saint-Malo on April 29 and her second-round win at the 2025 Italian Open on May 8.