Naomi Osaka Was Not Ready for Her Success, Admits Coach Patrick Mouratoglou

In a candid and thoughtful reflection, Naomi Osaka’s current coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, opened up about the immense pressures that come with being at the top of the sport—and how the Japanese star’s meteoric rise may have played a central role in the mental health challenges she later faced.

“I was not with Naomi when she had this mental health issue,” said Mouratoglou during a recent podcast. “But I think I know what happened. I think she was not ready for success because it came very fast,” said Mouratoglou.

“And people don't realize what those athletes, the kind of pressure they're under. Even if you're number one in the world, you don't have the ‘right to fail’ anymore,” he continued. “Every play if you don't win it. I mean, the press, the people, everybody's going to say, ‘oh, what's the problem? Something's wrong. Oh, maybe it's the start of something bad.’ So, you live with that every day, there is nothing more difficult to handle than 'not having the right to lose',” added Mouratoglou.