“4 years, 2 Slams, and a whole lot of memories,” – Naomi Osaka wrote last week in a post on Instagram. Just over two weeks after her early exit from the U.S. Open, Naomi Osaka parted ways with her longtime coach, Wim Fissette, for the second time. The IG post was a reference to what the duo accomplished in their time together, but it was time to move on. Post this, there were several rumors of Osaka searching for a high-profile coach, including Coco Gauff’s former coach Brad Gilbert.

Osaka has had a disappointing 2024 campaign following her return to the court earlier this year post her maternity leave. Osaka’s Grand Slam win-loss record this read a dismal 3-4. She failed to go past the second round of any Grand Slam, having crashed out in the opening round of the Australian Open, followed by second-round exits at the French Open and the Wimbledon.

The second-round US Open defeat at the hands of Karolina Muchova rounded off a miserable Grand Slam run for the Japanese WTA player and she believed the time was right for a change. Among a few names linked with the coaching role for Osaka, renowned French coach, Patrick Mouratoglou emerged as the strongest contender. Now, it seems the cat’s finally out of the bag!

Naomi Osaka arrived in China on Thursday with Patrick Mouratoglou, ahead of the WTA 1000 China Open. Many reports linked her with Simona Halep’s former coach. The China Open shared photos of Osaka and Mouratoglou together at the airport on its Instagram feed. It is understood that the French coach’s association with Osaka will be announced in the next few days.

Incidentally, on the day the former US Open winner announced her split from Fissette, she was seen practicing at the University of California under the watchful eyes of Mouratoglou. With the pair now being seen together on their arrival in China, it all but confirms their association.

The 54-year-old Patrick Mouratoglou comes up with a vast experience of coaching some of the finest in the tennis world. His list includes the likes of Laura Robson, Grigor Dimitrov, Serena Williams, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Simona Halep. Just before joining Naomi Osaka’s team, he was working with the Danish star, Holger Rune. 

Mouratoglou’s coaching style is known for its intensity and strategic depth. These are some of the qualities that can help Naomi Osaka to get back to her winning track as she looked quite disappointed with her second-round exit from the US Open.

We saw Naomi Osaka put up an IG post while making this announcement, where she also wrote, “Thanks, Wim for being a great coach and an even greater person. Wishing you all the best.” After that, Fissette also came up with a heartfelt note, thanking Osaka for giving him this opportunity.

Wim Fissette wrote, “I first started coaching Naomi in 2019, and it was truly a pleasure. More so to be part of the comeback journey, seeing her grow as a person, athlete, and now mother. A champion in many ways.” He further went on to explain how they started from zero and then went on to develop week by week. Although he felt, “We were close to a breakthrough“, the Japanese tennis star perhaps had already made up her mind.

Osaka and Fissette worked together first from 2019-2022 and again from 2023-2024 after Osaka returned following the birth of her first child. Their first stint together was more fruitful as Osaka won the US Open in 2020 and the Australian Open in 2021 under the Belgian’s guidance.

However, the second stint has been marred by a run of poor results. Here is a breakdown of Osaka’s disappointing early exits in 2024.

• Brisbane International- Round of 32.
• Australian Open- Round 1.
• Abu Dhabi Open- Round 1.
• Indian Wells- Round of 32.
• Miami Open- Round of 32.
• Open de Rouen- Round 1.
• Madrid Open- Round 2.
• Italian Open- Round of 16.
• French Open- Round 2.
• Berlin Open- Round 1.
• Wimbledon- Round 2.
• Paris Olympics- Round 1.
• Canadian Open- Round 2.
• Cincinnati Masters- second round of qualifying.

She did manage to reach the quarter-finals of the Qatar Open and Libema Open, but it was little consolation. After her shocking exit from the second qualifying round at the Cincinnati Masters, Osaka made a heartfelt confession about her struggles on the court. Taking to her Instagram she wrote,

“My biggest issue currently isn’t losses though, my biggest issue is that I don’t feel like I’m in my body. It’s a strange feeling, missing balls I shouldn’t miss, hitting balls softer than I remember I used to. I try to tell myself, ‘It’s fine, you’re doing great. Just get through this one and keep pushing,’ but mentally, it’s really draining.” The 26-year-old compared the experience to the feeling of “postpartum,” which was unsettling for her.

In picking Mouratoglou, Osaka has shown her willingness to change her ways when needed.  The choice of Mouratoglou over others isn’t a big surprise also given the Frenchman’s willingness to work with the Japanese star. It first came under the spotlight when we heard him say Osaka’s return was the “best news” for women’s tennis in an interview with Eurosport in December 2023. “I’m very excited that Naomi comes back. I think she’s great. I think she can do well. I feel that she’s very motivated to come back,” the French coach had said.

Now if we go back further, remember what happened at the 2018 US Open final when Naomi Osaka defeated Serena Williams to clinch her maiden Grand Slam title? Mouratoglou was then in Serena’s camp and he was later heard saying, “It was a bad day, a bittersweet day for Naomi (Osaka) because her first Grand Slam, but there was such a drama. So I think it was not an ideal first Grand Slam for Naomi.” Even in the 2021 AO, we saw him congratulate Osaka after her comfortable win against Williams in the SF.

So, there have been multiple such moments in the past which make us conclude that perhaps Mouratoglou is also a big fan of this Japanese superstar. How did the tennis world react to this new inclusion in Osaka’s team, though?

Mixed reactions coming in from the tennis world on Naomi Osaka’s partnership with Patrick Mouratoglou

Mouratoglou’s coaching career began in 1999 with the then-14-year-old Marcos Baghdatis. He helped him win the Australian Open Boys’ title in 2003 and reach the men’s final in 2006, losing to Roger Federer. Despite his vast experience and success with names such as Serena Williams, whom he guided to 10 Grand Slams, there is some skepticism around him.

For example, Rennae Stubbs was heard giving a stern warning to Naomi Osaka as soon as she heard this news. She cited the example of what happened with Simona Halep and then went on to add, “She (Osaka) has always looked up to Serena, so maybe she’s thinking that this is going to be her, you know, moment, where she can pick up someone who has, you know, molded the Serena Williams person.” Others claimed that Mouratoglou could be the right person to instill some confidence in Osaka rather than just focusing completely on the technical stuff.

Recently, Coco Gauff ended her partnership with Brad Gilbert. So, renowned tennis journalist, Jon Wertheim felt instead of taking a hasty decision to bring Mouratoglou to her team, “Naomi Osaka should have waited a week…” Osaka has already announced her participation at the 2025 ASB Classic, but still, fans are now more eager to see how she ends up this season with the Frenchman in her team. Share your thoughts on Patrick Mouratoglou’s entry into Naomi Osaka’s coaching team.