{
  "type": "article",
  "title": "Naomi Osaka credits new coach and her mum's cooking as she stuns Sabalenka to reach Wimbledon quarters",
  "summary": "Naomi Osaka beat Aryna Sabalenka to reach the Wimbledon quarter-finals, crediting her coaching team, a changed mindset and her mum's home cooking for rediscovering the joy of playing.",
  "content": "On Centre Court on Sunday afternoon, Naomi Osaka rediscovered a joy she hadn't felt on a tennis court in a long time. She beat Aryna Sabalenka to book her place in the Wimbledon quarter-finals, and when asked afterwards what had changed for her, she gave an answer few expected, pointing not just to her coaching team and mindset but also to her mum's cooking.\n\nOsaka said her mum is over there and cooks a lot, and that she feels her mum's cooking is powering her, so she would really appreciate another meal that night. She added that her mum cooks a bunch of Japanese food, so a shout out to Japanese food was in order. She said it had been a long time since she'd had so much fun on the court, and doing it at Wimbledon meant a lot to her.\n\nTwo-time Grand Slam champion Tracy Austin described the display as the best Osaka has looked since her comeback.\n\nA sport that once felt like breathing had turned into a struggle\nJust two years ago, Naomi Osaka was struggling to understand why a sport that was as simple as breathing to her had left her feeling bereft. Struggling after her return from maternity leave in July 2023, Osaka said she did not feel like she was in her own body. In August 2024 she wrote that it was a strange feeling, missing balls she shouldn't miss and hitting balls softer than she remembered hitting them. She wrote that she tried to tell herself it was fine and that she was doing great, but that mentally it was really draining.\n\nWorld number one at 23, then a break for her mental health\nBy the time she was 23, Osaka had already won two Australian Open and two US Open titles and had sat at the top of the world rankings. But she has also spoken openly about the pressure that comes with playing tennis at that level. Osaka struggled with bouts of depression after winning her first major title in 2018. In 2021 she briefly stepped away from tennis to prioritise her mental health, and later took 15 months of maternity leave after the birth of her daughter, Shai.\n\nIn her absence, Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff, among others, went on to win major titles and build fresh rivalries among themselves. When Osaka returned to the tour, she found it hard to fit back into a landscape that had moved on without her.\n\nA heavy loss in Rome became the turning point\nThe real shift came after a 6-2 6-1 loss to Swiatek in Rome. Osaka said that after that loss she felt like she shut everyone out and got straight on a plane back home. She said she didn't talk to her team, because she felt really ashamed about how she had reacted.\n\nAfter that defeat, she said, she told herself that she was nearing 30 and had to really enjoy the time she had. She said tennis is very important to her, but that she has a life outside of it, and that she needs to treasure tennis in a way that doesn't put too much importance on it.\n\nFree-flowing tennis, 21 winners and a dominant first serve\nOn court, Osaka not only matched Sabalenka for pace but played with far more control. While Sabalenka's frustration after a missed shot showed up as a yell or a glare towards her box, Osaka simply turned her back on a fluffed shot, kicking her heels up as she jogged back to the baseline. She played with freedom throughout, striking 21 winners and winning 87% of points behind her first serve.\n\nCoach Tomasz Wiktorowski and a rebuilt grass-court game\nOsaka credited her changed grass-court game to coach Tomasz Wiktorowski, who she began working with in mid-2025. She said that when she was younger, she used to get so low after mistakes that she would bang her knees on the ground, to the point where she thought she might need knee guards while playing.\n\nShe said her team always understood she had the potential to play really well on grass, and that the missing piece was figuring out the movement side of her game. She said she had done a lot of drills with Tomasz, most of which weren't even on a grass court, focusing instead on pattern recognition and getting comfortable with her own game. Throughout the year, she said, he had been steadily making her more comfortable with her movement.\n\nFamily in London, and a third birthday for daughter Shai\nOsaka also credits her calmness to having her family around her in London. The family are staying together in a house, and celebrated Shai's third birthday on Thursday, though Osaka told Friday's Court One crowd that she had put her daughter in time-out because she was being a bit naughty.\n\nA tough test awaits against Karolina Muchova\nHer quarter-final opponent, Karolina Muchova, is a crafty player who will look to counter Osaka's pace with spin and guile, making it a tough test. But she will now face a version of Osaka who is looser, calmer and more ready than at any point since her return.\n\nSpeaking on BBC TV, Tracy Austin said Osaka probably felt her comeback was taking way too long, noting that this time last year she wasn't even ranked in the top 50. Austin said Osaka has done a great job of getting more consistent, looks fitter than she has ever seen her, and is fully committed to staying controlled on court.\n\nWhat this means for you\nThis story matters most to tennis fans following the Wimbledon draw.\n\n• For tennis fans: Osaka's win sets up a closely watched quarter-final against Karolina Muchova, a stylistic clash of power versus spin.\n• For working parents: Osaka's account of struggling and then rebuilding form after 15 months of maternity leave offers a relatable reference point for anyone returning to a demanding career after time off with a new baby.\n\nQuestions & Answers\n\n1. Who did Naomi Osaka beat to reach the Wimbledon quarter-finals?\nShe beat Aryna Sabalenka to reach the Wimbledon quarter-finals.\n\n2. How did Osaka perform in the match statistically?\nShe hit 21 winners and won 87% of points behind her first serve.\n\n3. Who does Osaka play next at Wimbledon?\nShe faces Karolina Muchova, a crafty player who counters pace with spin and guile.\n\n4. Why did Osaka step away from tennis before?\nShe stepped away in 2021 to prioritise her mental health, and later took 15 months of maternity leave after the birth of her daughter, Shai.\n\n5. What major titles has Osaka won?\nShe has won two Australian Open and two US Open titles and has been ranked world number one.\n\n6. Who is Osaka's coach and what has he changed?\nHer coach is Tomasz Wiktorowski, who she joined up with in mid-2025 and who has worked on her movement and grass-court game.\n\n7. What did Osaka say about her mum's cooking?\nShe said her mum's Japanese cooking has been powering her and credited it for her form.\n\n8. What was the real turning point in Osaka's comeback?\nIt came after a 6-2 6-1 loss to Iga Swiatek in Rome, which pushed her to change her mindset.\n\nInspiration & Lessons\nNaomi Osaka's comeback is as much about rediscovering herself as it is about winning matches.\n\n• Writing openly about struggling, as Osaka did in August 2024, rather than hiding it, can ease the pressure of a tough patch.\n• A heavy defeat, like the 6-2 6-1 loss to Swiatek in Rome, can become the turning point that forces a genuine reset instead of just deepening the shame.\n• Learning to value your work without putting too much importance on the outcome, as Osaka now does with tennis, can lead to better performance over time.\n• Working steadily with the right coach on specific technical drills, like the movement and pattern-recognition work she did with Tomasz Wiktorowski, builds real, lasting change rather than a quick fix.\n• Keeping family close, whether it's a mother's cooking or a young daughter's presence, can be a genuine source of calm under big-stage pressure.",
  "url": "https://trendkia.com/en/tennis/man-ke-hatha-ke-khane-aura-nae-kocha-ne-lautai-osaka-ki-muskana-wimbledon-men-sabalenka-ko-di-mata-5033",
  "category": "Tennis",
  "publishedAt": "2026-07-05",
  "tags": [
    "Naomi Osaka",
    "Wimbledon",
    "Aryna Sabalenka",
    "Tennis",
    "Karolina Muchova",
    "Tomasz Wiktorowski"
  ],
  "language": "en",
  "site": "TrendKia"
}