Four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka has parted ways with coach Wim Fissette, with whom she won the 2020 U.S. Open and 2021 Australian Open.
The former world No. 1 announced the split in an Instagram Story on Friday.
“Four years, two Slams and a whole lot of memories,” she said. “Thanks Wim for being a great coach and even better person, wishing you all the best.”
On the same day, University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) professor Marco Iacoboni posted a photo of Osaka in practice with Patrick Mouratoglou, former coach of Serena Williams, at the Los Angeles Tennis Center. Mouratoglou most recently coached world No. 14 Holger Rune.
A report in Open Court names Mouratoglou as Osaka’s formal new coach, but neither has yet confirmed the partnership.
Fissette issued a statement of his own, saying on Instagram: “We were very close to a breakthrough. When you do the right things and keep hearing from peers you are in the right direction, it’s tough not quite getting it yet. As the coach, you keep trusting the process, knowing the lessons are getting you closer to the trophies.
“After the U.S. Open, Naomi decided to move forward with a new path. I accepted it knowing we close this second run with more good memories and gratitude for building her way back.”
Fissette, the former coach of Simona Halep, Angelique Kerber, and Victoria Azarenka — all Grand Slam champions and former world No. 1 players — also suggested that he was looking forward to finding a new player.
Osaka and Fissette first teamed up during the 2019 off-season, a partnership that lasted until summer 2022. During that period, the 26-year-old Osaka won consecutive Grand Slam titles in New York and Melbourne. However, she withdrew from the 2021 French Open, saying in a statement announcing her decision that she had “suffered long bouts of depression since the U.S. Open in 2018”.
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