Andy Roddick Has Faith in Naomi Osaka’s Abilities Despite Her Struggles on the Grass-Court

Naomi Osaka opened her grass-court season with a three-set loss against Liudmila Samsonova at the Berlin Tennis Open.

Andy Roddick Has Faith in Naomi Osaka’s Abilities Despite Her Struggles on the Grass-Court

Naomi Osaka and Andy Roddick (via X/Naomi Osaka Brazil/Forbes)

Naomi Osaka’s form on the court hit another tough patch earlier this week when the former World No.1 lost in the first round of the Berlin Open. The four-time Grand Slam champion has experienced a topsy-turvy season, which has prevented her from breaking into the top 40 this year, despite some good runs in tournaments.

In April, Osaka appeared to be getting into form in her second season since returning from maternity leave in 2024. She won her first title since giving birth to her daughter, Shai, at the WTA 125K in Saint Malo, which was also her first clay career title. She continued with the form winning three matches at the Italian Open.

She was stopped by Jasmine Paolini in the fourth round. But things took a bad turn for Osaka at the Roland Garros as she fell to a three-set loss against Paula Badosa in the first round. She was hoping to bounce back from the defeat at the Berlin Tennis Open, where she kicked off her grass-court campaign.

But she was stunned by Liudmila Samsonova, losing 6-3, 6(3)-7, 4-6 in two hours and 36 minutes at Steffi Graf Stadium in Berlin. The former World No.1 has struggled in Grand Slam events since her comeback in 2024. In her past six major events, she holds a negative 5-6 record, with her best run coming at the Australian Open, where she reached the third round.

With the Wimbledon Championship around the corner, she also does not have a good record at the tournament. Her best run at the All England Club was in 2018, when she got to the third round. In the wake of this, Andy Roddick revealed during a conversation on Tennis Channel that the former World No.1 can still play her best tennis on the grass court:

I think about it, and I truly mean it, I don’t see a strong reason why Naomi can’t perform well on grass. I believe Naomi needs to focus a bit more on those first-strike tennis, perhaps vary her service a little more, maybe take more risks with the second serve so that, on her subsequent move, her opponents do not have the chance to expose her so frequently.

Last year, Osaka reached the second round of the Wimbledon Championship but lost to Emma Navarro, who went ahead to beat Coco Gauff en route to the quarter-finals. The Japanese star will now focus on getting to her best form ahead of the tournament as she hopes to turn around her poor Grand Slam record since 2024.

Naomi Osaka’s struggles on the court continue despite her partnership with Patrick Mouratoglou

Naomi Osaka parted ways with her current coach, Iga Swiatek’s, Wim Fissette, after the US Open in 2024. The Japanese star then announced Patrick Mouratoglou as her new coach. There were expectations that the legendary coach would bring the best out of her game and help her reach the level she’s expected to be, but that has not been the case.

Patrick Mouratoglou and Naomi Osaka 1
Patrick Mouratoglou and Naomi Osaka (via WTA)

During the aforementioned conversation, Tracy Austin pointed out that after eighteen months back on the tour, Osaka is still struggling with her game on the court. She added that the 27-year-old has worked hard but the results haven’t been satisfactory:

I’ve got to be honest: I didn’t think it would take this long for someone who has won four majors and has been so committed, working with Patrick Mouratoglou. She’s worked so hard; when she’s lost, she goes back to the Academy there. I’m super proud of Naomi for trying to play better on the clay. Her four majors were all on hard and she never felt comfortable on the grass. She can’t wait for the summer to happen.

Since Osaka’s return to the circuit in early 2024, her record stands at 39-26 after 28 tournaments. However, she will be competing alongside Iga Swiatek, Jasmine Paolini, and Jessica Pegula at the Bad Homburg Open, which kicks off next week.

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