Four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka made headlines recently by announcing the end of her partnership with renowned coach Patrick Mouratoglou after just 10 months. The Japanese star has since begun working with Tomasz Wiktorowski, the Polish coach best known for guiding former world No. 1 Iga Swiatek.
Osaka marked the new partnership with a hard-fought victory in the second round of the Toronto Masters. Facing 13th seed Liudmila Samsonova, Osaka rallied from a 6-4, 5-4 deficit and saved three match points before taking the second set in a tiebreak, 7-6(6), and sealing the match 6-3 in the third.
While it was Osaka’s second match in Toronto, it marked her first under Wiktorowski’s guidance. The Polish coach worked with Swiatek for three years beginning in 2022, a run that included four Grand Slam titles, 19 WTA Tour trophies, and a record-setting 37-match win streak. Swiatek also spent 125 weeks at world No. 1 during their collaboration and captured the 2023 WTA Finals title.
Wiktorowski’s coaching résumé also includes seven years alongside fellow Pole Agnieszka Radwanska, helping her reach the 2012 Wimbledon final, win the 2015 WTA Finals, and rise to world No. 2. He briefly coached Olga Danilovic in 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic cut that stint short.
Iga Swiatek celebrates with Team Poland team captain Tomasz Wiktorowski after winning her final match against Angelique Kerber of Germany during the 2024 United Cup. (Brett Hemmings/Getty Images)
Osaka’s split with Mouratoglou ‘isn’t a surprise’
While Osaka’s decision to part ways with Patrick Mouratoglou surprised many fans, veteran tennis insider Jon Wertheim said the move was expected. Speaking on the Served with Andy Roddick podcast, Wertheim attributed the split to “results and logistics”.
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“I don’t think this was a huge surprise,” Wertheim said. “This has been a relationship of less than a year. Osaka has won a fair amount of matches, but not at the biggest and best events”.
Wertheim added that Mouratoglou’s coaching style — widely regarded as motivational rather than tactical — may not have been the right fit for Osaka’s current needs.
“She just took a loss to Emma Raducanu in Washington, her coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, was not there. I think some of this is about results and some of this is about logistics,” he continued. “Patrick is also a guy who pumps a player up with confidence… if a player doesn’t have confidence, as Naomi doesn’t appear to have much of right now, I am not sure what the relationship is all about”.
