Patrick Mouratoglou has been a guiding light to many stars throughout his career. He led WTA legend Serena Williams to 10 of her 23 Grand Slam singles titles between 2012 and 2022. He’s also helped players like Holger Rune, Grigor Dimitrov, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Simona Halep, and even Coco Gauff. His most recent coaching stint was with four-time Grand Slam champ Naomi Osaka. Though their partnership ended recently, it was without bad blood. The coach even learned something impressive about her.

In an exclusive chat with EssentiallySports, Mouratoglou spoke about different player mindsets. In his book, he describes two types, and Naomi and Serena fall into the same category. He noticed it right away when he started working with Osaka, recalling, “Naomi also was saying, for example, before the preseason, she said to me, ‘I’m excited because I’m going to learn new things.’” To him, that eagerness to learn matters.

Though Naomi Osaka was already a Grand Slam champion, winning four majors at the Australian Open (2019, 2021) and US Open (2018, 2020), and reaching No. 1, Mouratoglou was struck by the difference in attitude. “It’s amazing when you see guys who are way lower and they think they know everything. It’s a very different attitude.” He explained it with a passage from his book:

“In my book, I talk about the comfort zone and the progress zone. And those champions are in the progress zone, and the two examples that you asked me to talk about, Serena and Naomi, they’re always in the progress zone. Which is really amazing. And you know, the more time you spend in the progress zone, which means out of the comfort zone, the more you want to be there.” Pearls of wisdom indeed.

He worked with Osaka for 10 months before their split, which came right after her first-round loss at the French Open. While they didn’t capture another Slam, Mouratoglou helped her climb in the rankings and win her first post-maternity title at the WTA 250 event in Saint Malo.

In his farewell message to Osaka, Mouratoglou expressed hope and gratitude. On Instagram, he wrote, “I am grateful for the trust, the journey and what we have built together. I will always root for you and wish you nothing but the best @naomiosaka.”

Though Naomi is now working with a new coach, Mouratoglou still sees her as a class apart – because of her mindset and thirst for growth. As he said, “The more time you spend in your comfort zone, the less you want to go in the progress zone. So, it’s basically moving from the comfort to the progress zone. That’s what’s important to build the confidence, also your self-esteem.”

Maybe that’s why their split was peaceful. Mouratoglou understood Osaka’s urge to grow, and when she felt she wasn’t growing with him, he respected her choice to seek new paths. He recently spoke openly about it.

Patrick Mouratoglou opens up about his split with Naomi

Earlier this month, Coach Mouratoglou gave a candid interview to The Guardian about why coaching Naomi Osaka didn’t quite click. He didn’t mince words: “The results weren’t good enough, which completely made sense. I think we did a lot of good things, but, at least from a coaching standpoint, the one thing that you don’t master can ruin the whole thing. I think she improved so much, I was seeing it on a daily basis. And her mindset was great. But she was not performing well enough during the matches, so that was the one piece that was ruining the whole thing.” Then he hit the hard truth: “I didn’t do a good enough job, otherwise the results would have been there.” Honest and raw.

When the split was announced, Osaka had kept the details under wraps. Just before the Canada Open in Montreal, she wrote a sweet message to the coach on Instagram. But she kept it classy and grateful: “Merci, Patrick ❤️ It was such a great experience learning from you. Wishing you nothing but the best. You are one of the coolest people I’ve ever met, and I’m sure I’ll see you around 🙏🏾.” A clean break, no drama. Just respect!

Mouratoglou admitted that his Serena Williams’ legacy may have weighed on Osaka. “Having me as a coach was a bit heavy for her, in regards to what I did with Serena for many years. She mentioned it a few times actually, even publicly – and I didn’t find a way to take that pressure away. I think maybe that’s why she wasn’t performing. As soon as I was not in the loop, she felt probably lighter. By not having that pressure, she could express her tennis more freely.” That’s as candid as it gets.

On the other hand, maybe the split did Osaka some good. She’s now working with Tomasz Wiktorowski, Iga Swiatek’s former coach, and the turnaround is real. This summer, she reached her second final of the season at the National Bank Open. Then, she made her first US Open semifinal run in five years! So perhaps that’s what Patrick Mouratoglou admires the most about her as his former pupil. What do you think?