Naomi Osaka’s first year after returning from her maternity leave hasn’t been easy for the four-time Grand Slam champion. However, the Japanese star is ready for a new era, following in Serena Williams’ footsteps as she hired Patrick Mouratoglou as her new coach.
After beating Lucia Bronzetti 6-3 6-2 at the China Open, Osaka opened up about her new collaboration with Mouratoglou, who worked with Williams from 2012 to 2022, helping her clinch the Olympics and 10 Grand Slams titles. He most recently coached Simona Halep and Holger Rune.
“The fact that he was Serena’s coach made me want to avoid him just because his persona is so big,” she said. “This isn’t rude because I found out it’s not true, but I didn’t know if he was a good coach or he [just] coached Serena,” Osaka admitted.
“Then I met him, talked to him, worked with him on the court. He absolutely is a really good coach,” she continued, “I think I’m at a stage in my life that I don’t want to have regrets. I’d rather pull the trigger on something and I don’t want to say ‘fail’, but I feel like I really need to learn as much as possible in this stage of my career.”
The Japanese star, who returned in January after giving birth to her daughter, said that she is seeing this new partnership as a “long-term commitment.” Osaka’s previous coaches include Sascha Bajin, with whom she won her first two GS, and Wim Fissette, who worked with her from 2022 to this year, winning her other two.
Osaka has struggled to find consistency
Osaka made a splash in the tennis world after she defeated Serena Williams in her first Grand Slam final at the 2018 US Open, reaffirming her talent by adding three more majors to her title count. However, she has suffered setbacks due to dealing with her mental health.
Since returning from her maternity leave, she has reached the quarter-finals in only two of the 16 tournaments she has played this season and has not gone past the second round of a Grand Slam. However, fans are hopeful to watch Osaka’s best tennis back on court.