Top tennis coach Patrick Mouratoglou stated that the women’s tour needs superstars and will gain from the comeback of former world number one Naomi Osaka after a 15-month hiatus.
The four-time Grand Slam champion gave birth to her daughter Shai in July of this year and participated in her last WTA match at the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo in late September 2022.
In the Brisbane International, Osaka will make her comeback match in preparation for the Australian Open, which is held at Melbourne Park from January 14–28.
“I believe it’s the best news for women’s tennis,” Serena Williams’ former coach Mouratoglou stated to Eurosport.
“Now that you have Coco Gauff and Naomi Osaka, not that there aren’t any others—there are, after all, a lot of them—but I believe those two are super exciting.
“They are fantastic for the WTA because they are superstars. Stars are needed in the WTA. With Serena Williams, Venus (Williams), and Maria Sharapova—three extremely talented women—we had so many amazing years.
And I believe that having players like that brings a lot of attention to women’s tennis. Thus, I’m thrilled to see Naomi again. I believe she’s fantastic.
Mouratoglou predicted that Osaka will have a successful comeback because of her aggressive style and sheer power.
“She has incredible shots and such a big game. With the right attitude, determination, and skills, I believe she can really cause some havoc. She’ll be prepared for the Open in Australia. She simply won’t have any matches,” the Frenchman continued.
Thus, we’ll be able to determine quickly whether she can start competing right away or whether it will take her some time. However, I think she’ll be competitive from the start.