“Another mom to win” – Kim Clijsters goes out of her way to make bold Naomi Osaka prediction at US Open

August 25, 2025

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Kim Clijsters expressed hope that Naomi Osaka would win a major title and end the Slam-winning mother drought at the 2025 US Open. Osaka is set to play her opening round against Greet Minnen on August 27, aiming to replicate her title-winning runs from 2018 and 2020.

Osaka had a breakthrough year in 2018, winning her first professional title at Indian Wells. She continued her momentum at Flushing Meadows, earning her first Grand Slam title by defeating the iconic Serena Williams. The following year, she bagged her second Major title in Melbourne and catapulted herself to No. 1.

It wasn’t until 2021 that Naomi Osaka began to face mental health challenges, and she continued to struggle with her form throughout 2022. The Japanese player took a pregnancy hiatus in 2023 and welcomed her daughter, Shai, in July of that year. Since returning, she hasn’t found much success at the Grand Slams, but retired Belgian star Kim Clijsters hopes Osaka can end the title drought for mothers and capture another Major.

"I going to maybe go something different than what I think I've heard everybody else say. I'm going to go, Naomi Osaka. Yeah, for the title. Maybe I'm ready for another mom to win. But I, yeah, I believe she has, she's playing so much better and she's doing well, and so I think on the women's side, Naomi is going to win and on the men's side, I'm going to go with Sinner."

Clijsters was the last one to win a Grand Slam title at the 2011 Australian Open after becoming a mother.

Naomi Osaka recently weighed in on playing with fellow parent Gael Monfils at the US Open

Osaka at the 2025 US Open - Mixed Doubles - (Source: Getty)

Naomi Osaka paired with the French player, Gael Monfils, for the mixed doubles at the US Open. Though they couldn't move past the first round after falling to Caty McNally and Lorenzo Musetti, Osaka and Monfils shared great conversations and constantly supported each other on the court.

In a press conference later, the four-time Grand Slam winner also called him her 'GOAT' and revealed that they already planned a play date with their kids.

"Yeah, that's my GOAT right there. He's super kind. He's exactly how I would think of when I see him just constantly telling me, like, Good point, or to keep going. Super adorable. We were talking about our kids. I was joking that we're Team Parents because we both have daughters. He was saying they should go on a play date, which I think was super cute."

Osaka made the Auckland final in 2025, besides reaching her first WTA 1000 final of the year at the Canadian Open.

About the author

Agnijeeta is a US Olympics journalist at Sportskeeda. She holds a Master’s degree in English and has worked as a school teacher, a blogger, a content writer and a sports writer over the past 5 years. A lover of high-adrenaline track and field events, she was also a sprinter during her school days.

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone happens to be her favorite Olympian, and the athlete’s feat of breaking four records within 13 months inspires her, apart from the American's body language on and off the track. Grant Hackett swimming with a partially dysfunctional lung and winning gold in Athens is her all-time favorite Olympic moment.

Agnijeeta believes that deriving of unique angles from podcasts and interviews carried out by Olympics.com, along with hype-building of potential Olympic events on social media can help fill the coverage gap during the off season.

When not at her work desk, Agnijeeta likes to sing and paint. She also plays string instruments like guitar and ukulele and is an avid player of word puzzles.

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