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By Richard Pagliaro | @Tennis_Now | Monday, January 13, 2025

 
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Naomi Osaka asked a friend to retrieve her daughter's birth certificate from her L.A. home before fending off Caroline Garcia 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 in her Australian Open opener.

Photo credit: Fred Lee/Getty

Sporting sunflower earrings and pumping her clenched fist, Naomi Osaka exuded positive emotion amid third-set stress.

Former No. 1 Osaka delivered serene power fending off Frenchwoman Caroline Garcia 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 to reach the Australian Open second round for the eighth time in nine appearances.

Master multi-tasker Osaka battled former No. 4 Garcia in a tense one hour, 45-minute win—avenging a 6-4, 7-6(2) loss to the Frenchwoman in the AO first round last year.

On a day that saw 2017 Roland Garros champion Jelena Ostapenko bow to Belinda Bencic and 2020 Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin lose to compatriot Coco Gauff, Auckland finalist Osaka improved to 5-1 on the season.

While she lit up Rod Laver Arena with flashes of form she showed in capturing two Australian Open championships, Osaka’s mind is on the horrific fires and destruction in Southern California.

Osaka, who lives in Los Angeles, said fires burned so close to her Los Angeles home she asked a friend to retrieve her daughter, Shai’s birth certificate to keep it safe in the event the fire spreads to her house.

“I learned that there was a fire burning three blocks from my house,” Osaka shared. “I figured it would be a good idea to keep the birth certificate safe.”

Tennis Express

This Australian Open presents the four-time Grand Slam champion with one of her greatest challenges: Can Osaka craft career rebirth while facing the prospect of home damage or even destruction?

Osaka, who is in Melbourne with her daughter, said given the dangerous California fires she has no plans of returning home.

Competing “in limbo”, Osaka is trying to create safe space on court. She walked into her post-match presser wearing an LA Dodgers baseball cap and discussed playing without panicking.

“I'm a great multi-tasker. I do both,” Osaka said of playing a Grand Slam while staying in touch with friends and monitoring southern California maps. “I'll check the wildfire map any chance that I get just to see what's happening. Also I had friends in L.A., but they're safe. One of them flew to New York, so... I don't know. It's really difficult.

“I also feel like in a way it's tough because I don't think I'll go back to L.A. immediately after. Like, I don't feel like it's safe enough to go back there. It's kind of a little bit in a limbo, but also motivating me to hopefully stay here as long as I can.”





It’s been a year of dramatic change for Osaka, who announced her split with long-time partner and rapper Cordae earlier this month. Osaka said the pair parted on good terms and plan to co-parent their daughter.

Additionally, Osaka and former coach Wim Fissette ended their working relationship last season. Fissette is now coaching world No. 2 Iga Swiatek, while Osaka hired her tennis hero, Serena Williams’, ex-coach Patrick Mouratoglou, as her new coach.

Contesting her 51st consecutive major, Garcia imposed her big serve on Osaka in her 2024 AO win. Garcia raked 13 aces and did not face a break point, stopping former No. 1 Osaka 6-4, 7-6(2) in a superb Australian Open opener lasts January.

In today’s rematch, Osaka adjusted her return positioning and won four of six break points. Osaka saved all four break points she faced in the final set, including a rousing stand that saw her erase three break points holding for 4-2 in the decider.

Osaka credited Mouratoglou for giving her specific tips to return though she did not specific exactly what her coach advised.

Among the things Osaka did better in this rematch was back up a bit to return first serve, giving herself a bit more time to take a clean strike. Osaka was also reading the wide serve better and at crunch time in the final set she wisely imposed her forehand crosscourt on Garcia’s more erratic forehand wing. When Osaka resists the urge to change direction too quickly and sets up the point with her forehand, she’s still a shotmaker capable of detonating any point against any opponent on a hard court.

“It is interesting because I remember the last couple times I played Caroline, her serve was overwhelming me a lot. Today it felt a little more breezy,” Osaka said. “I think in that way Patrick helped me a lot because he gave me quite a couple tips, and I just had to apply them. It suddenly became a little predictable. Yeah, honestly I would owe that to him. Yeah, it was like specific tips against her serve.”

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The comeback road does not get any smoother for world No. 50 Osaka.

While she continues to consult the fire map to keep tabs on her home, Osaka looks ahead to a second-round showdown vs. former French Open finalist Karolina Muchova.

The 20th-seeded Muchova won 24 of 28 first-serve points crushing Nadia Podoroska 6-1, 6-1 in just 61 minutes.

Former world No. 8 Muchova has won two of three meetings vs. Osaka, including 6-3, 7-6(5) at the US Open last September. Muchova is a fine server, one of the best volleyers on Tour and has tested Osaka’s backhand pass in recent meetings.

Still, given all that Osaka has already survived—the ongoing fire, the break-up of her relationship, a coaching change and defeating a nemesis in a tough opener—she says she’s grateful to face the challenge Muchova poses.

“I think just, like, having the opportunity to see what I can do. Obviously I fell a little short in the US Open, but my outfit was spectacular,” Osaka said with a smile. “But yeah, I'm hoping this time my tennis can shine a little bit better.

“Also I love getting difficult draws. Like, I find that the most fun. It's kind of like once you get a difficult draw, you can prove that you're the best of the best. So for me it's the most fun moment.”

 

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