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Open Court learned just before the start of the US Open that Naomi Osaka was negotiating to make a change in her coaching setup.
Denials all around.
But in the last few weeks, we were told that discussions had intensified and now we can confirm that Osaka, who had been working with renowned coach Wim Fissette since her return to training last summer and her return to the match court in January, has ended things with him.
But the blockbuster news is the identity of the new coach.
It is … Patrick Mouratoglou, former coach of Serena Williams and, most recently, of Holger Rune.
We reached out to all parties involved on this issue over the last few weeks. But the only reply came from Mouratoglou, who said before the US Open that he had indeed discussed becoming Osaka’s coach last summer, when she was auditioning coaches to began training for her comeback. (We’re told that Brad Gilbert was another, before he began working with Coco Gauff).
But since the Frenchman was working with Rune at the time, the discussions ended there. And so, he struck down the rumour.
So we held onto the news until we could at least confirm or deny it credibly.
At the UCLA tennis courts in the Los Angeles suburbs today, Osaka, Mouratoglou and the rest of her squad were spotted by our boots on the ground, at practice.
UPDATE: Fissette comments
It was late in the afternoon when we broke this story Friday, and Fissette was likely asleep in Europe.
So it must have been a bit of a rude awakening early Saturday morning over there, when he posted this statement on Instagram.
A high-profile game of musical chairs
It’s a pretty big move – both for Fissette, who’s a canny negotiator and who rarely leaves a job without having something better lined up and for Mouratoglou, who adds another champion with a high profile to his list of players.
There were rumblings even before the US Open that Fissette might be on somewhat shaky ground. Although to expect that Osaka, who returned to action after giving birth and has only gradually gotten into game shape along the way, would have better results than she’s had so far was probably optimistic.
There have been glimpses along the way. But she still has a way to go. So it’s hard to see from afar what more Mouratoglou will bring to the table.
Why the change? That’s something we’ll no doubt hear about in the coming weeks, when Osaka returns to tournament play.
She has been given a wild card into the China Open, the WTA 1000 in Beijing that begins on Sept. 26.
A long list for Fissette
The four-time Grand Slam champion didn’t go blindly into the association with Fissette; the two had worked together before, from late 2019 through to July 2022.
And it was just a little less than a year ago – also after the US Open, that this happened:
Fissette coached Zheng Qinwen in the summer of 2023 – leaving her rather abruptly (and with much distress on the Zheng side of things) after the US Open to return to work with Osaka.
Before that, he worked with Sabine Lisicki, Simona Halep, Victoria Azarenka, Johanna Konta, Angelique Kerber – and then Azarenka again.
There are a number of top-ranked players who are on the search for a coach at the moment – most notably, Elena Rybakina. You’d have to think he’d pursue that in a heartbeat.
Mouratoglou in the spotlight again
As for Mouratoglou, his long association with Serena Williams combined with his eponymous academy means he’s had a hand in the rise of a lot of players in recent years.
He and his staff have been around players like Coco Gauff and Stefanos Tsitsipas.
And he has had a number of stints with Holger Rune; the most recent one ended at the end of July.
UPDATE: About an hour after Open Court broke the news, Osaka posted this on her Instagram.
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But why ..
Be careful Naomi ..he was Simona Haleps coach ,fishy business..watch what you eat or drink.