Naomi Osaka admitted that she was initially hesitant to hire Patrick Mouratoglou as her coach because she wondered how it would all look if she worked with such “a big persona” but then got to know him a bit and realized that it was probably worth giving a shot.
Following a disappointing summer on hard courts for which the Japanese had big hopes, she decided to go her separate ways with Wim Fissette. After making that decision, the former world No. 1 didn’t wait for too long to find a new coach as she turned to Serena Williams’ former long-time coach.
On Wednesday, their partnership got off to an outstanding start after Osaka ousted Lucia Bronzetti 6-3 6-2 in the Beijing first round. Although the 26-year-old didn’t go a single tournament without a coach, adding the French coach to her team wasn’t as easy a decision as some thought.
In the past, Mouratoglou worked with Williams for 10 years – and during their time together – the American tennis icon won 10 of her 23 Grand Slams.
“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. 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,” the Japanese shared…
