“Merci Patrick

it was such a great experience learning from you. Wishing you nothing but the best,” Naomi Osaka wrote on her X handle last month as she surprised the tennis world by announcing her split with Patrick Mouratoglou after a promising 10 months together. Their partnership started strong with a finals run in Auckland, but an abdominal injury hampered much of her season. She then turned to Tomasz Wiktorowski and in their very first tournament together, reached another final. Now, as the US Open approaches, Osaka enters with renewed belief—and maybe a bit more confidence in this new partnership.

While she lost the Canadian Open title to local teenage phenom Victoria Mboko, it was still her first WTA 1000 final appearance since Miami 2022. It showed that she is finally on the rise. And so, while her coaching shake-up might seem sudden, Naomi couldn’t be happier with the setup.

On X, Tennis Now shared Naomi’s praise: “He’s really great. I don’t know. He’s just incredibly helpful. He cuts to the chase, and he makes me feel like he’s kind of an encyclopedia of tennis, so it’s good to have someone like that in your corner.” That direct style is exactly what Naomi values in a coach.

She’s been clear about needing a coach who’s direct. But she’s not afraid of switching up the guiding voice when it doesn’t work for her. As she said when her partnership with Mouratoglou was announced, “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… I feel like I really need to learn as much as possible in this stage of my career… I try not to get into relationships with people for the short term. I try to think of it as a long-term commitment.”

After ending her partnership with Wim Fissette, Osaka hired Mouratoglou, who guided Serena Williams to 10 Grand Slam titles, in late 2024. They regularly shared updates from intense training sessions. Osaka even joked about needing an ambulance after some of those workouts.

As for her current coach, Tomasz Wiktorowski, he has coached Polish stars Agnieszka Radwańska and Iga Swiatek. His success with Swiatek, four Grand Slams in three years, made him one of Poland’s top tennis minds. Still, despite his record, some remain skeptical about how he’ll fit with Osaka.

Naomi Osaka’s coach sparks bold claim from renowned journalist

After the Montreal final, Ben Rothenberg was confident about the partnership and told Przegląd Sportowy Onet, “Honestly, I never thought Osaka and Mouratoglou would work out. He’s too high-profile, too dramatic, and has too many things on his plate, which probably wouldn’t help her. Wiktorowski has a much lower profile and a much calmer disposition – I think that will be a very beneficial change for her.” But what’s the controversy?

Well, Iga Swiatek and coach Tomasz Wiktorowski parted ways in October 2024 after three hugely successful years. Officially, it was an amicable split, a mutual decision to start a new chapter for the Pole. Rumors swirled about Wiktorowski wanting rest or conflicts with Swiatek’s psychologist, though he denied those. Iga wanted a fresh perspective with a non-Polish coach to take her game further.

Osaka’s partnership with Wiktorowski began on a trial just before the Canadian Open, and the results were instant. The four-time Grand Slam champion looked sharp, proving Rothenberg right. As he added, “It’s a difficult time in the season for Wiktorowski to make a significant impact, as she has some very important tournaments ahead of her. Despite everything, I think this will be a very interesting collaboration.” Their instant success suggests they could go far as Osaka seeks to regain top form.

Now, she’s gearing up for her first match at the US Open against Greet Minnen—someone she defeated twice before in 2018 and 2020. Will Naomi Osaka reignite her old fire and possibly claim the title again with her new coach at her side? Only time will tell. Stay tuned and follow our live blog for all the US Open updates!