“Thanks, Wim, for being a great coach and an even greater person. Wishing you all the best,” Naomi Osaka announced on Instagram about her split with Wim Fissette after four years. Similarly, a week ago, Elena Rybakina cut ties with her infamous coach, Stefano Vukov, ahead of the US Open. She began her hunt for a new coach after five years. In the ever-changing tennis landscape, what happens when a former No. 1 player’s coach suddenly becomes available? The tennis world is abuzz with speculations, leaving them wondering if Rybakina will snag this coveted asset!

Naomi Osaka’s candid confession on her struggles after returning to tennis following a 15-month hiatus (when she became a mother) resonated with fans worldwide. Her inability to get past the second round in the US Open, where she previously secured two titles, might have further pulled her down. 

Furthermore, except in the Qatar Open and S-Hertogenbosch, NL, the former World No. 1 player has struggled to qualify for a QF this season, let alone add a fifth grand slam in her bag. “It’s been a little difficult because obviously I can only gauge how I’m doing by results,” she said.

As a result, Osaka made the bold decision to start anew. 

On the other hand, Elena Rybakina, who withdrew in the second round at the US Open, stopped working with the Croatian coach in August 2024, without revealing the reason for their split up. Now, fans are weighing in on the possibility of Wim Fissette joining forces with Rybakina and sharing their opinions on X!

Fans react to Naomi Osaka’s former coach’s possibility to coach Rybakina

Even though Vukov mentored Rybakina to clinch eight WTA titles, break into the top 10 rankings (reach No. 3), and earn her first Grand Slam title in Wimbledon (in 2022), his aggressive approach to coaching caught fans’ attention. Even during the Australian Open earlier this year, fans noticed a heated argument among the duo in the gym. Therefore, now with the possibility of a new coach taking her training responsibility, fans are happy to welcome a change. “my personal opinion is elena would vibe well with a coach who don’t consider themselves a superstar of sorts,” wrote one fan.

“Naomi spilts with coach and immediately gets a new one, Elena what are you waiting  for🥹🥹,” wrote another fan. As the fan mentioned, Osaka wasted no time in hiring a new coach for her team, Patrick Mouratoglou! The Frenchman who previously worked with Holger Rune for around 6 months, has already begun training the four-time grand slam champion Naomi Osaka in LA. Nevertheless, Rybakina’s decision to hire a new coach has yet to be made public and her withdrawal from the US Open has further raised concern about her comeback.

Besides her Wimbledon victory, under the guidance of Vukov, Elena Rybakina, with her aggressive play style, also reached the finals of the Australian Open, along with winning the Indian Wells and Italian Open titles in 2023 titles last year. However, Wim Fissette, the Belgian tennis coach, helped Naomi Osaka clinch two major titles (the 2020 US Open and the 2021 Australian Open) in her career. Moreover, the 44-year-old former player has worked with various World No. 1 players, including Victoria Azarenka, Kim Clijsters, and Simona Halep. Therefore, fans are hoping to see Rybakina achieve a similar feat if she appoints Fissette as her coach. One fan wrote on X, “If he helped Osaka to win a GS, maybe he would help Rybakina the same way, both player are heavy hitters.”

Another fan wrote, “Don’t kid yourselves, even if she got the best coach in the world, we would still complain. But Elena is Elena and she will win.” Whenever fans called out Vukov’s on-court tactics, Rybakina had his back and defended him. Even during the Australian Open earlier this year, Rybakina said, “I want to clarify any misinterpretations. Stefano has believed in me for many years, before anyone else did. We plotted a strategy together in how I could achieve great things and his method shows in my Grand Slam success so far.”

Another fan, wishing to see Fissette back with Naomi Osaka again, stated, “No, on the first opportunity he’ll get back to his tennis love Naomi Osaka.” After their split up, Naomi Osaka’s coach also echoed a similar sentiment to the Japanese player and added that they were “close to a breakthrough.” However, he understood Osaka’s frustration at not “getting it.”

The coaching carousel in tennis is always spinning, and fans will be keeping a close eye on Fissette’s next move. Will he join forces with Rybakina, or will another player benefit from his expertise? Only time will tell.