How Serena Williams indirectly caused Naomi Osaka to struggle on the WTA Tour last year

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Serena Williams has been retired for over three years, but is still causing problems for her former rivals…

Things didn’t go to plan for Naomi Osaka during the first half of the 2025 season.

The Japanese star failed to make an impression at any of the first three Grand Slams of the year, losing in the third round of the Australian Open, the first round of the French Open, and the third round of Wimbledon.

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In a bid to turn things around, Osaka split with her coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, hiring Tomasz Wiktorowski as his replacement.

Picking up form, Osaka reached the Canadian Open final and the semifinals of the US Open, returning to the world’s top 20 by the end of the year.

Asked about Osaka’s recent upturn in form, her former coach Mouratoglou admitted that departing her team played a role, and made an interesting comment about 23-time Grand Slam champion Williams.

Patrick Mouratoglou says his previous success with Serena Williams put pressure on Naomi Osaka

During a Q&A on Instagram, Mouratoglou was asked how he feels about Osaka’s improvements since hiring a new coach.

“I think it’s thanks to the fact that we stopped that she could play that well, and I’ll explain why,” he said.

“I think we did a great job in terms of progress; her level of play at the end of our collaboration was way higher than one year before.

“But I think it was difficult for her to play with me being in the box; she was feeling a lot of pressure and tension, I think due to the fact that I coached Serena [Williams] for so long.”

Mouratoglou coached Williams to 10 Grand Slam titles during the second half of her career, helping her cement her legacy as one of the greatest players of all time.

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Looking back upon his time as Osaka’s coach, Mouratoglou blames himself for not being able to take that pressure off.

“But that was my job, to find a way to take this pressure off, and I didn’t do well,” he said.

“She actually said publicly that it was too much pressure for her to have me as a coach; she said it at the press conference in Roland Garros.”

After losing to Paula Badosa in the first round of the 2025 French Open, an emotional Osaka shared how the success Williams and Mouratoglou enjoyed together was playing on her mind.

“Even with Patrick [Mouratoglou], I was thinking just now, but like, he goes from working with the greatest player ever to what the f— this is, you know what I mean?” she said.

Mouratoglou thinks taking that pressure away has allowed Osaka to flourish.

“I think the fact that I was not in the box, she felt more free to play, and as she was ready physically, as she was ready in her game, she could express her tennis way better,” he said.

Osaka has certainly improved, but just how well has she performed since splitting with Mouratoglou?

Full list of Naomi Osaka’s results post-Patrick Mouratoglou

Immediately finding success in the post-Moratoglou era, Osaka reached a WTA 1000 final and a Grand Slam semifinal.

Results haven’t remained consistent, though, and she’s only won four matches since.

However, that’s not entirely fair on the four-time Grand Slam champion, as she battled injury at the end of 2025, before struggling with illness at the ongoing United Cup.

Had she been 100% at both events, she likely would have won a few more matches.

Having suffered a group stage exit at the United Cup with Japan, Osaka will now turn her attention to the Australian Open.

Returning as a former two-time champion, the 28-year-old will want to leave her mark Down Under.

The 2026 Australian Open is scheduled to begin on Sunday, January 18.