Naomi Osaka is making a change near the end of a disappointing season. The four-tine Grand Slam champion is splitting up with her longtime coach Wim Fissette and is bringing high-profile coach Patrick Mouratoglou on to be her new coach, according to Stephanie Myles of Open Court.
Osaka confirmed that she and Fissette are going their separate ways in an Instagram story on Friday.
Myles reported that Osaka had previously contacted Mouratoglou about being her new coach, and that the two were seen together in the United States on Friday.
“At the UCLA tennis courts in the Los Angeles suburbs today, Osaka, Mouratoglou and the rest of her squad were spotted by our boots on the ground, at practice,” Myles wrote.
Osaka and Fissette worked together from late 2019 until July 2022. After Osaka missed most of 2023 while on maternity leave, the two reunited for the 2024 season.
The pair experienced tons of success during their first stint together, as the Japanese star won her third and fourth Grand Slam titles at the 2020 US Open and the 2021 Australian Open. However, they weren't able to rediscover that magic in 2024. So far this year, Osaka is just 3-4 at the four Grand Slams and is 55th in the WTA points race since the start of the season.
Mouratoglou is best known for his time with Serena Williams, whom he coached for nearly 10 years from 2012-2022. He most recently coached young Danish star Holger Rune on the ATP tour before the two split up in July.
Where Naomi Osaka must improve to return to the top 10
There have been flashes of the old Naomi Osaka in 2024, including her near-upset of World No. 1 Iga Swiatek at the French Open in May. However, she hasn't been able to maintain consistent results in 2024, leading to a somewhat disappointing resume for the year.
Osaka's serve is still as lethal as ever. Her first serve percentage is down a bit from her prime years, but the rest of the stats are right on par with the best in the world. Osaka is at a career-high 10.4% ace rate and is holding serve 80.1% of the time, good for fourth out of the top 100 per Tennis Abstract.
On the other hand, the return of serve hasn't been pretty. Osaka is winning just 39.2% of points on the opponent's serve in 2024, the first season of her career below 40%. She is breaking serve in just 26.3% of opponent service games, which ranks 96th out of the top 100.
Osaka's serve is so elite that she just has to be an average returner to roll through most of her matches, like she did back in her prime years. However, she has been a very poor returner in 2024, failing to put returns in play and make opponents play behind their first serve.
If Mouratoglou can get Osaka's return back to a top 50 level, she could be in for a big 2025.
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