'Time is important and that was the key that was missing': Patrick Mouratoglou closes chapter with Naomi Osaka

Patrick Mouratoglou spoke about his separation from Naomi Osaka after 10 months of working together. The French coach had been associated with the former world No. 1 since late 2024, but the Japanese player recently surprised everyone by announcing they would end their professional relationship to seek new directions.

Mouratoglou is recognized as one of the best coaches in the world, with a long history of working with Serena Williams—whom he helped win 10 Grand Slam titles—in addition to stints with Grigor Dimitrov, Simona Halep, and Holger Rune, among other renowned players.

His partnership with Osaka in late 2024 seemed like it could be the definitive boost for the Japanese player, who sought to return to the forefront of the tennis world by hiring Mouratoglou. However, after almost a year together, Osaka never quite took off. The Japanese player finished 2024 at No. 56, and this year she has yet to crack the top 40.

“The thing that was missing was the competitiveness,” Mouratoglou said of Osaka when the pair were working together. “I think she’s a great competitor, but at that time she was not as good as a competitor as I think she can be and she has been in the past. And this is the thing that we didn’t solve.”

"I said to her 'You’re ready to do great results right now'"

In 2025, she reached the third round of the Australian Open and Wimbledon, while falling in her debut at Roland Garros. She also had Round of 16 appearances at the Miami Open and Rome Open, and she won a WTA 125 title in Saint Malo and reached the final in Auckland at the start of the season.

“I wish we could have more time to solve it. But we didn’t, that’s life, and I have no regrets on that because that’s the rule when you work at a high level. I mean, time is important, and you have to solve the problems fast. So I think that was the key that was missing,” the Frenchman added. “And when we stopped, I said to her, ‘I mean, I think you’re ready. If you find the person that will help you get back your efficiency during the matches, I think you’re ready to do great results right now, and I hope it’s going to happen very soon.’”

“The mental is a huge part of that sport, probably the most important part,” Mouratoglou said to CNN. “So I think it’s important that the coaches are able to also help the players on that aspect of the game.”

“Am I a mental coach? I hope I’m not only a mental coach because, you know what, when you are a coach, as tennis is so complex, there is a huge technical aspect – a huge mental aspect, and the physical is extremely important. So every player will bring you different problematics that you have to solve; otherwise they would be No. 1 already. If they’re not, it means on the way from where they are to No. 1, you will have to solve things and help them solve them. So my goal is to have the tools to solve any kind of, do I think I’m maybe better on the mental side? I think so, but I hope I’m good enough on the other ones too.”

Following the end of her relationship with Mouratoglou, Osaka quickly hired the Polish coach Tomasz Wiktorowski, who has a history of working with Agnieszka Radwańska and Iga Swiatek. The association—which is on a trial basis for a couple of weeks for now—has had immediate success, with Osaka reaching her first WTA quarterfinal since February 2024. The Japanese player defeated Canadian Ariana Arseneault in her debut, then saved a couple of match points against Liudmila Samsonova in the second round, and then went on to defeat the Latvians Jeļena Ostapenko and Anastasija Sevastova. She is now set to face the Ukrainian Elina Svitolina for a spot in the semifinals.