Patrick Mouratoglou claims Coco Gauff and Naomi Osaka are the ‘SUPERSTARS’ WTA needs as he expresses his excitement over the Japanese great’s comeback

Osaka has not played a match since September, 2022 and will finally make her comeback at the Brisbane International.

Patrick Mouratoglou claims Coco Gauff and Naomi Osaka are the ‘SUPERSTARS’ WTA needs as he expresses his excitement over the Japanese great’s comeback

Coco Gauff (L), Naomi Osaka (R) (Source: Imago)

French tennis coach Patrick Mouratoglou is super excited for the comeback of Naomi Osaka at the 2023-24 Brisbane International. According to him, the Japanese tennis player is one of the most interesting players in the women’s division alongside Coco Gauff and together, they can run the division exceptionally well.

The 53-year-old also opined that the women’s tennis division is in dire need of huge stars and Coco Gauff and Naomi Osaka are two players of that level. 

Now you have Coco Gauff and Naomi Osaka, not there are no others because of course there are many others, but I think those two are super exciting. They are superstars, so they're great for the WTA – the WTA needs superstars. 
Patrick Mouratoglou as per Eurosport

Mouratoglou said that in the past, the WTA had players like Venus Williams, Serena Williams, and Maria Sharapova playing together in the same era. This multiplied the excitement of women’s tennis tenfold and drew more attention to it. That is exactly why he is sad that WTA needs ‘Superstars’ like them today as well.

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Apart from Gauff and Osaka, there are also other great players in the scenario today, like World No. 1 Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka. Patrick Mouratoglou acknowledged that but did not name any other player in particular. 

Osaka and Gauff have had a pretty competitive rivalry. They are equal in head-to-head records. They played a total of four matches and have won two matches each. However, Coco has made massive improvements in her game since the last time these two met. Thus, the dynamics can be much different if they meet each other at the 2023 Australian Open. 

Naomi Osaka set to make her much-awaited comeback at the Brisbane International 

Osaka has been away from the court for over a year. She has not played since September 2022 and in January 2023; the player announced that she was pregnant with her first child and that she would return to tennis in 2024. In July 2023, Osaka and her boyfriend, Cordae, welcomed their baby girl. After some time, she started to prepare for her comeback.

Naomi Osaka
Naomi Osaka (Source: Japan Times)

The Japanese player will finally make her comeback in the 2023–24 Brisbane International, which starts on December 31, 2023. Brisbane International is just a stepping stone before she heads on to the 2023 Australian Open, as she needs some match fitness to be prepared for the Grand Slam.

Apart from Osaka, Rafael Nadal has also chosen the same tournament to make his comeback ahead of the Australian Open. 

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