Naomi Osaka explains why her coach missed her opening match in Rome

TL;DR

Naomi Osaka won her second-round match against Eva Lys at the Italian Open. Her coach, Tomasz Wiktorowski, was absent, and she provided an explanation during the post-match press conference.

Key points

Naomi Osaka won her match against Eva Lys
Match score was 6-4, 4-6, 6-3
Coach Tomasz Wiktorowski was absent

Tomasz WiktorowskiNaomi OsakaEva LysItalian Open

Photo by Chris Arjoon/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Naomi Osaka defeated Eva Lys, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3, in the second round of the Italian Open.

However, her coach Tomasz Wiktorowski was not there to watch her.

Osaka explained why during her post-match press conference.

Tomasz Wiktorowski informed Naomi Osaka in advance that he would miss Rome Opener

Photo by Chris Arjoon/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

“He has, like, a personal thing that he had to go do,” she said.

“But he told me about it beforehand.

“It wasn’t like he just dipped out on me.”

Osaka still had plenty of support from her team, and she talked about who stepped in to back her up.

“That’s Matias [Zukas]. He’s my hitting partner,” she said.

“He takes on the role of coach when Tomasz [Wiktorowski] isn’t there.”

She also spoke about how important Wiktorowski is when asked how she goes about preparing for a player she hasn’t faced before, such as Lys.

“Honestly, I kind of leave that up to my coach,” said Osaka.

“I have a pretty big talk with him before.

She also shared her confidence coming into the match, feeling good after Madrid despite some time having passed since then. She believes she can keep improving and building on her current form. This confidence could serve her well in Rome and looking ahead to Roland Garros.