Naomi Osaka attended a special event at Roland Garros to honor Gael Monfils ahead of the French Open. She highlighted the importance of representation in tennis and named Monfils alongside the Williams sisters as key inspirations. Osaka also shared her hopes for a deeper run at the tournament.
Naomi Osaka spoke at the “Gael and Friends” event on Court Philippe Chatrier on May 23. The occasion marked the farewell of French player Gael Monfils. Osaka credited Monfils and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga with inspiring black male players in France, alongside Serena and Venus Williams on the women's side. She said, “Seeing representation is so important. I had Serena and Venus, and on the men’s side, I looked up to him and Tsonga. There is a wave of black French guys coming up, so I guess he really inspired a lot of people.”