Patrick Mouratoglou explains what he learned during his first tournament coaching Naomi Osaka

Follow us on Google Discover

Naomi Osaka competed in her first tournament with Patrick Mouratoglou as her coach and he was impressed with her performances.

The 26-year-old announced in September that the Frenchman would replace Wim Fissette in her team.

The Belgian coached the former World number one for four years and under his guidance she claimed four Grand Slam titles.

But now Osaka is learning from Mouratoglou, an experienced coach who is best known for working with Serena Williams in her final years of dominance.

Now the 53-year-old wants to guide another superstar to more success and help her become a force on the women’s game once again.

What did Patrick Mouratoglou learn from his first tournament coaching Naomi Osaka?

Patrick Mouratoglou’s first tournament working with Naomi Osaka was the China Open which emanated from Beijing.

He watched the Japanese player win three successive matches for only the third time this season, and her chance of winning a fourth was cut short due to injury.

Mouratoglou was encouraged by what he saw and took to Instagram to post how he felt about the start of his coaching relationship with Osaka. “It’s been our first tournament together with @naomiosaka and it was so rich in terms of learning,” he wrote.

“From the practice sessions to the warm ups on match days, to all the preparations and the match briefing and debriefings, I got so much to learn about her.

“I also got to spend time with the amazing team around her @florian.zitz @simone._.elliott @matizukas. I am really proud of all her efforts, her focus and willingness to learn and progress. It’s the best attitude to be in a growth process. Now is the time to heal and get ready for new challenges.”

Naomi Osaka updated fans on her fitness after China Open retirement

Osaka was having a strong China Open which saw her claim victories over Lucia Bronzetti, Yulia Putintseva and Katie Volynets.

This set up a blockbuster encounter with Coco Gauff in what was their first match since the San Jose Open in 2022. But with the score locked at a set apiece, Osaka stopped playing due to a lower back injury.

Following the match, Osaka said she injured her back during a practice session before facing Gauff, but she wanted to try her best in the contest, and she did just that up until she could no longer continue.

“Hi everyone, just wanted to say that I’m extremely thankful and happy to have played in Beijing,” she wrote on social media.

“That being said I feel like I owe a little backstory about today- So I locked my back up during practice earlier and honestly wasn’t sure if I could even play but I just wanted to try. Unfortunately things just got progressively worse during the match. Totally worth it though.”