Naomi Osaka‘s journey throughout the years has been something to look out for. With 4 Grand Slams and multiple WTA titles under her belt, she has also seen her fair share of injuries and time away from the court. Not only this, but she recently even parted ways with her long-time coach Wim Fissette, with whom she started her second stint after making her comeback post-pregnancy. Speaking about the ups and downs, Fissette recently reflected on his first stint with her and how she played during those years.

Wim Fissette, in a podcast with Functional Tennis, on October 9, 2024, opened up about the early stages of his time coaching the Japanese tennis star. According to Fissette, despite Osaka already being a two-time Grand Slam champion when they started working together in December 2019, she had much room for growth. “I mean, the potential was huge, huge. But a lot, a lot of margins to grow,” he suggested.

Fissette admitted that Osaka was not initially focused on development. She had reached a point where she was “kind of the best player in the world” and had grown accustomed to winning. However, her loss to Coco Gauff at the Australian Open in early 2020 marked a turning point in her career. Fissette described it as “a very bad match,” where Osaka mentally struggled to handle the pressure of facing the young rising star.

Their communication was not smooth at first, but after the Fed Cup in Spain, things changed. “She opened up about some issues she has, or some struggles she has before matches,” Fissette revealed. They had productive discussions, leading to significant improvement before COVID-19 interrupted their progress. This also halted Osaka’s momentum just as Fissette felt she was “ready to win Indian Wells.”

Naomi Osaka also opened up about her early struggles and how she battled mental health issues that affected her journey as a professional athlete.

Naomi Osaka opens up about the mental health struggles that nearly ended her career

Always an advocate for mental health, Naomi Osaka opened up about her struggles. In an Instagram post, she shared that she had been through a lot and it was hard for her to cope with it. Often seen wearing headphones while stepping on the court, she explained that she does this to lower her anxiety.

“I have had a really hard time coping with that,” she shared. “Anyone that has seen me at the tournaments will notice that I’m often wearing headphones as that helps dull my social anxiety…I am not a natural public speaker and get huge waves of anxiety before I speak to the world’s media,” wrote Naomi Osaka in her Instagram post.