Naomi Osaka splits with longtime coach ahead of return, U.S. Open
Naomi Osaka and longtime coach Wim Fissette officially split on Wednesday.
Fissette, who first started working with Osaka in 2019, made the announcement on Instagram.
“It has been a privilege to coach Naomi since 2019 and see her grow into the champion she has become,” he wrote. “She has inspired a whole new generation to fall in love with the game & to speak up for what they believe in and it’s been incredible to play a part in that journey.
“Thank you Naomi Osaka. I wish you all the best and looking forward to my next chapter.”
It’s unclear what led to the split.
Fissette first started coaching Osaka before the 2020 season, and he helped her win at the U.S. Open in 2020 and the Australian Open in 2021. He’s worked with several other big stars in the sport, including Victoria Azarenka, Simona Halep and more.
Osaka, hasn’t played since she was knocked out of the French Open in the first round earlier this summer. The 24-year-old has played sparingly since she first withdrew from the French Open last year, and she didn’t play at Wimbledon due to an Achilles injury.
Osaka is expected to return for the Mubadala Silicon Valley Classic in San Jose, California, in August, which will mark her first competition since May 23. That tournament is where Osaka made her WTA main-draw debut in 2014, and will also feature Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina, Ons Jabeur, Coco Gauff and more.
Perhaps more notably, however, the tournament will kick off about a month before the U.S. Open in New York.
While she doesn’t have a coach at the moment, it sounds like Osaka is gearing back up to finish out the season.
