"The WTA needs superstars": Naomi Osaka brings box-office star power back to women's tennis says Patrick Mouratoglou

Patrick Mouratoglou commented on the return of the 4-time Grand Slam champion at the upcoming Brisbane International, which will take place between December 31 and January 7. The former coach of Serena Williams spoke about the WTA's need for superstars and how Osaka fills that role.

The former world No. 1 has not played since the 2022 Tokyo Open, taking a 14-month break due to mental health reasons and later her pregnancy and the birth of her first daughter, Shai. Osaka has previously stated that she intends to return to her best form and compete for more major trophies.

Mouratoglou, who is currently in London amid the Ultimate Tennis Showdown exhibition tournament, responded in an interview with Eurosport, addressing the current state of the WTA and highlighting Naomi Osaka's return: "I think it's the best news for women's tennis," he said. "Now you have Coco Gauff and Naomi Osaka, not that there are no others because of course there are many others, but I think those two are super exciting."

Mouratoglou compared Osaka to Maria Sharapova and the sisters Venus and Serena Wiliams, stating that these players attract more attention to the WTA Tour: "They are superstars, so they're great for the WTA. The WTA needs superstars. We had so many great years with Serena, Venus (Williams), and Maria Sharapova, who are three really huge stars,” he said. "And I think it draws a lot of attention to women's tennis when you have players like that. So I'm very excited that Naomi comes back. I think she's great.”

Regarding the level fans can expect from Osaka, the former coach of Simona Halep expressed his belief that the Japanese player can quickly regain her form to be competitive in the Australian Open, which begins in less than a month: "She has such a huge game, huge shots. I think having the mindset, the will and the shots, she can really do some damage. She will be ready for the Australian Open. She will just lack matches," the Frenchman added.

"So we'll know quite fast if she's able to be competitive immediately or if she will need a bit more time to become competitive. But I feel she will be competitive straight away," he concluded.