"Fact that he was Serena Williams' coach made me want to avoid him" - Naomi Osaka acknowledges initial hesitation against hiring Patrick Mouratoglou

Naomi Osaka recently acknowledged that she was initially hesitant to hire Patrick Mouratoglou because he was Serena Williams' ex-coach. Mouratoglou and Williams' partnership lasted from 2012 to 2022, spanning 10 Grand Slam titles.

Osaka came back on tour at the 2024 Brisbane International after missing the 2023 season due to pregnancy. Her season has been disappointing, having only reached the quarterfinal twice in 16 tournaments. Following a slew of poor results, the Japanese decided to move on from her coach Wim Fissette.

She has now partnered with Mouratoglou, hoping for a better end to the season. The French coach has coached many players such as Williams, Grigor Dimitrov, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Simona Halep, and Holger Rune, among others.

Recently, the former World No. 1 addressed the change in the coaching situation at the 2024 China Open. She said that she was initially skeptical to rope in Mouratoglou due to his persona of being "big".

"I think the fact that he was Serena's coach for me made me want to avoid him just because his persona is so big. Like, 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 coached Serena," Osaka said (via WTA).

Osaka added that after talking to him and working with him, she was glad the French coach accepted the coaching position.

"Then I met him, talked to him, worked with him on the court. He absolutely is a really good coach. I'm really glad that he's taking this project on, as well," she said.

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Naomi Osaka parts ways with Wim Fissette after four years

Naomi Osaka and ex-coach Wim Fissette at the 2024 National Bank Open (Image: Getty)

Naomi Osaka parted ways with her coach Wim Fissette after four years. Osaka took to Instagram to thank the Belgian coach for his work and wished him all the best for his future endeavors.

"4 years, 2 Slams and a whole lot of memories. Thanks Wim for being a great coach and an even greater person. Wishing you all the best," Osaka wrote on her Instagram story.

Source- Naomi Osaka's Instagram handle

Osaka and Fissette won two Grand Slams together, the 2020 US Open and the 2021 Australian Open. She also reached the finals at the 2020 Cincinnati Open and the 2022 Miami Open.

Naomi Osaka began her first tournament under new coach Patrick Mouratoglou at the 2024 China Open, where she has already won her first match against Lucia Bronzetti 6-3, 6-2. She will next face Yulia Putintseva in the second round.