Naomi Osaka will have another change in her team heading into the 2026 season, after her strength and conditioning coach announced the end of his time working with the 4-time Grand Slam champion. This is the Frenchman Guillaume Brunoir, who began working with Osaka at the end of 2024.
The Japanese player will have another movement within her team after ending her 2025 season due to injury. Since parting ways with Patrick Mouratoglou a few months ago, the former world No. 1 achieved her best results in several years and managed her return to the top-15, in addition to competing in a WTA 1000 final at the Canadian Open again.
It is worth noting that Osaka announced her association with Mouratoglou in September 2024, hoping it would give her a boost in her form towards the end of the year. It was then that, along with Mouratoglou – former Serena Williams and Simona Halep coach – she brought in the Frenchman Brunoir to join Osaka’s working team.
The association with Mouratoglou did not bring great results to Osaka, who barely managed to stay within the top-50 during the year with Mouratoglou. That is how the decision came to separate from Mouratoglou, bring in Tomasz Wiktorowski – former Iga Swiatek coach – and the good results quickly followed. Despite the French coach’s departure, Guillaume Brunoir continued working on Osaka’s team.
Post-Mouratoglou surge: Osaka reached Canadian Open final and US Open semis
The changes in Osaka’s team quickly brought good results for the Japanese player. In her first tournament without Mouratoglou, she advanced to the Canadian Open final, where she ended up falling to teenager sensation Victoria Mboko in a three-set battle 6-2, 4-6, 1-6. The former No. 1 was left empty-handed in Montreal, but at least she had a boost in morale and in the ranking, returning to the top-25 for the first time since January 2022.
It wasn’t just in Canada that she was able to display a level that reminded us of Osaka’s best moments. After skipping the Cincinnati Open to rest, she had a great performance at the US Open, where she reached the semi-finals again, losing to the American Amanda Anisimova in a tight match (7-6, 6-7, 3-6).
However, the Asian swing was not too positive for the 28-year-old star, who played Beijing, Wuhan, and Osaka, with a 3-2 record. She ended up retiring in Osaka before playing the quarter-finals against Jaqueline Cristian, due to a left thigh injury. Shortly after, she announced that it would be her last tournament of the season and that she would return in 2026.
Coach Guillaume Brunoir bids farewell on social media
Recently, Osaka’s physical trainer Guillaume Brunoir announced on social media that he would no longer be working with former world No. 1 Naomi Osaka: “Some chapters are meant to leave a mark. From Los Angeles to Osaka, through every court, every session, every challenge. Quiet focus, fleeting moments, unseen efforts, and the laughter we shared along the way. Proud of the work, the growth, and the bond built during these months. Thankful for the path we shared. 🙏🏽Ready for the next move.”
Osaka responded to Brunoir’s post and left a message of thanks, commenting: “Thanks for everything 🙏🏾 wishing you the best on what’s to come!”
The former world no. 1 concluded a great 2025 season, in which she achieved a 35-15 record and is currently ranked World No. 16 – a more than interesting advance for a player who started the year barely at No. 61. She finished as runner-up at the WTA 250 Auckland and WTA 1000 Canadian Open, reached the semi-finals at the US Open, and won a WTA 1
AloJapan.com