Naomi Osaka has a new superstar coach in her corner trying to help the four-time Grand Slam winner eek everything possible out of her career.
The 26-year-old has hired Patrick Mouratoglou – Serena Williams’ former coach who has also tutored many high profile players in tennis.
Osaka is playing at the China Open with Mouratoglou in her coaching boxGetty
Osaka and the French man already have history together thanks to the 2018 US Open final controversy.
She faced Williams in the showpiece event on Arthur Ashe, but quickly descended into a farce.
Osaka won the first set 6-2 as she bid for her first Grand Slam title, but in the second Williams was given a warning for coaching.
Mouratoglou had given a thumbs up signal, leading to umpire Carlos Ramos to take action.
The 23-time Grand Slam winner continued to berate Ramos and led to her receive a game penalty.
Osaka went on to win, but the incident overshadowed her victory.
Opening up on the furore in a recent interview, Mouratoglou said: “It was a terrible day for us because of all the drama around the US Open final.
“It was a bad day, a bittersweet day for Naomi (Osaka) because her first Grand Slam, but there was such a drama.
“So I think it was not an ideal first Grand Slam for Naomi. For us, it was really painful and we had a lot of bad press.”
Osaka was seen in tears as she collected her trophy and even apologised for beating the home favourite.
Osaka faced Williams in a controversial final at the 2018 US OpenGetty
As boos rained down during the trophy presentation with Osaka said: “I’m sorry. I know that everyone was cheering for her, and I’m sorry that it had to end like this.
“I just want to say thank you for watching the match.
“Thank you. … It was always my dream to play Serena in the US Open finals, so I’m really glad that I was able to do that. I’m really grateful that I was able to play with you. Thank you.”
Williams would later go on to apologise to Osaka, while Mouratoglou admitted to openly cheating.
Osaka last won a Grand Slam title in 2021 and recently took time out from the sport to have her first child.
If she can get back to her best, then she can beat anyone else on the WTA Tour. Mouratoglou has been drafted in to help achieve that after she split from Wim Fissette earlier this month.
Osaka told the official WTA website: “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.
Mouratoglou was at the centre of the controversy and is now Osaka’s coachGetty
Williams accused the umpire of sexismGetty
“Like, this isn’t rude because I found out it’s not true, but I didn’t know if he was a good coach or he coached Serena.
“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.
“I think I’m at a stage in my life that I don’t want to have regrets. I’d rather pull the trigger on something and – I don’t want to say ‘fail’ – but I feel like I really need to learn as much as possible in this stage of my career.
“Patrick seemed like the guy with, I guess, the information that I wanted to learn from.”
Osaka is next in action in the last-64 of the China Open against Yulia Putintseva on Friday.
