Japanese tennis star Naomi Osaka announced on Instagram that she is parting ways with her Belgian coach, Wim Fissette. In her post, Osaka reflected on their time together, writing, “4 years, 2 Slams and a whole lot of memories. Thanks Wim for being a great coach and an even greater person. Wishing you all the best.”
Fissette had two stints coaching Osaka, from 2019 until the summer of 2022, and again in 2023 after Osaka returned to the game following the birth of her daughter, Shai, in July. Under Fissette’s guidance, Osaka claimed the 2020 US Open and the 2021 Australian Open titles, and reached the finals of the 2020 Cincinnati Open and the 2022 Miami Open.
Since her return to the WTA Tour at Brisbane in January, Osaka has struggled to regain her winning form. Her first-round victory over Jelena Ostapenko at the US Open last month was her first win over a top-10 player in four years, but she was defeated in the second round by 52nd-ranked Karolina Muchova.
Reflecting on her current performance, Osaka said, “It’s been a little difficult because obviously I can only gauge how I’m doing by results. I feel faster. I feel better, but I lost in the second round. So it’s a little rough.” She admitted to some frustration, adding, “I feel like I’m working way harder than I’ve ever worked in my life, so it needs to turn into something. Well, it doesn’t need to, but I think it will.”
Currently ranked 75th in the world, Osaka has reached just two quarter-finals in 16 tournaments since her comeback.
