Naomi Osaka is off to a great start under the wing of her new coach, Tomasz Wiktorowski, having just recorded her best finish at a Grand Slam in over four years at the US Open.
Following a second-round exit at the Washington Open in late July, Osaka hired Wiktorowski, who had previously guided Iga Swiatek to four major titles.
Since then, the Japanese star has gone on to reach the final of the Canadian Open and the semifinals at Flushing Meadows, where she ultimately bowed out to Amanda Anisimova.
The appointment of the Pole marked the end of Osaka’s player-coach relationship with Patrick Mouratoglou, which lasted less than a year.
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With the Frenchman in her corner, the 27-year-old continued to struggle on the WTA Tour, suffering early exits at several tournaments.
Mouratoglou, the longtime coach of Serena Williams, recently reflected on his time with Osaka and pinpointed where it went wrong.
Patrick Mouratoglou reflects on coaching Naomi Osaka
In an interview with the Guardian, he admitted: “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.
“Looking back, I didn’t do a good enough job, otherwise the results would have been there. I also think that having me as a coach was a bit heavy for her, in regards to what I did with Serena for many years.
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“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. But there are no hard feelings. She’s a great competitor.”
Patrick Mouratoglou reacts to Naomi Osaka’s recent results
Mouratoglou added: “You have to speak about what Naomi did in the last two tournaments. She was also in the finals at Montreal, and that was a very close match that could’ve gone her way.
“I think she’s back to playing at an extremely high level and the performance she showed in these last two tournaments are quite clear. So that’s great news. I’m not surprised at all because I know how much effort she put in.
Canadian Open – Finalist, lost to Victoria Mboko US Open – Semifinalist, lost to Amanda Anisimova
“When we split, I told her agent she was 100% ready – which I felt because her practice level was consistent and extremely high.
“She needed these breakthroughs, which she had quite fast, to probably realize that she was able to play with the best and beat them.
“For women’s tennis to have Naomi back in the mix is amazing. She’s one of the most iconic players of the last five years.”
Osaka’s recent results have seen her ranking improve to world number 14, the highest she has been since 2022.
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