As soon as Naomi Osaka announced her split from her long-time coach Wim Fissette, fans were eager to know who would replace the Belgian. According to recent reports, Fissette is still seeking a new player, but Osaka has already found her new coach: Patrick Mouratoglou. The duo was recently spotted practicing together at the LA Tennis Center at the University of California. Mouratoglou’s career has seen both highs and lows. Among the highs is his successful stint with Serena Williams, while among the lows is the criticism he faced over his involvement in Simona Halep’s doping ban. What does the tennis world have to say about this new coaching pairing?

Recently Rennae Stubbs was heard giving a stern warning to Naomi Osaka about this inclusion. During ‘The Rennae Stubbs Tennis Podcast’, the 53-year-old Aussie tennis coach said, “She (Osaka) has always looked up to Serena, so maybe she’s thinking that this is going to be her, you know, moment, where she can pick up someone who has, you know, molded the Serena Williams person.” However, Stubbs argued that there are a lot of coaches that could have made a huge difference in Serena Williams’ life.

Stubbs highlighted that Serena had a similar slump when he took up the coaching role but at the same time she said, “Anyone with a brain in their head knows that every play goes through slumps, and someone as good as Serena was always going to bounce back.” Rennae Stubbs has also worked with Williams, so she wanted to give credit more to Serena’s work ethic than anyone else for her success.

Rennae Stubbs further added, “He has arguably f-cked up Simona Halep’s life, you know, with these incidents, with these, you know, allegations of who is the one that brought these people in that has, you know, put this stuff in her drinks, or whatever the hell, and she’s now, you know, had a two-year suspension. I mean, I don’t know, I’d be a little wary of having people around me that had those credentials.”

According to the reports published by the Open Court, Naomi Osaka even had a conversation with Brad Gilbert before he teamed up with Coco Gauff. So, she was searching for a high-profile coach for quite a while. Under Fissette she won two Grand Slam titles but she wasn’t happy with the way things went for her in this season. Perhaps that’s one of the major reasons for this change. Mouratoglou also had recently ended his partnership with Holger Rune. Now it’ll be interesting to see how things go on from here in Osaka’s career.

Is Patrick Mouratoglou’s inclusion in Naomi Osaka’s team a big surprise?

Well, the tennis world is currently divided into two parts on this. Some of them highlighted the fact that how Mouratoglou took responsibility for the contaminated collagen supplement that was determined to be the source of the Roxadustat in Simona Halep‘s case. We heard Halep saying, “I’m grateful he admits the mistake was his and his team’s. Yes, they are the ones who gave me this food supplement. And for this error – their error – I am the only one to pay the high price: 25 years of career destroyed.” 

Then the other set of fans and experts think that Mouratoglou could be the right person who can instill some confidence in Naomi Osaka rather than just focussing completely on the technical stuff. Once during an interview, we heard the Frenchman say, “As a coach, my job is to find chemistry with my players because, to be successful, they need to trust you completely. I always work to build that connection.”

Was the groundwork for these connections being laid as early as December last year? In a previous interview with Eurosport, Patrick Mouratoglou referred to Naomi Osaka’s comeback as the “best news for women’s tennis.” While celebrating the return of a former world number one is not surprising, this sentiment might have paved the way for his entry into Osaka’s team. Apart from that, we all know Serena Williams along with her sister Venus Williams has always been a “role model” for Naomi Osaka. So, perhaps this could’ve also given him an added advantage. What are your thoughts on Mouratoglou’s inclusion in Osaka’s team?