Olympian Naomi Osaka, a Japanese tennis professional, has four Grand Slam wins, being two Australian Opens in 2019 and 2021 and two US Opens in 2018 and 2020. Osaka plays aggressively and can hit a powerful serve that can reach 201 kilometers (125 mph) per hour. She turned professional in late 2013 and made her debut at the 2014 Stanford Classic, winning the event. As of December 2024, she has won seven professional titles and is ranked No. 57 in singles as of January 2025 as per the WTA.
Born in Japan, Osaka relocated with her family to the U.S. in 2000. Raised in Florida, she renounced her U.S. citizenship to be known as a Japanese national and represent the same in the Olympics. In January 2019, she was ranked as the world's top singles player by the WTA, making her the first Asian player to do so. She was the first tennis player to light the Olympic cauldron at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, finishing 9th at the event. Due to her pregnancy, she also took a significant 15-month break in 2023; she resumed competing in 2024.
Who is Naomi Osaka’s coach?
Naomi Osaka’s coach is Patrick Mouratoglou as of December 2024. He was hired in September 2024, after Osaka bid farewell to Wim Fissette.
Mouratoglou is a French tennis coach, sports analyst, and entrepreneur. In 1996, he established the Mouratoglou Tennis Academy, where he has subsequently coached numerous young athletes. Being unable to pursue a tennis career in his teens, he was motivated to open a tennis academy.
Mouratoglou claimed that even though he was a very good tennis player with aspirations to become a professional, he wanted to give young people the opportunity he was denied. "I wasn’t given a chance, so it became a goal of mine to give many young people a chance.” (via the official Olympics website). He was motivated by Nick Bollettieri's academy model.
Mouratoglou is renowned for being the coach of Serena Williams from 2012 to 2022. Since 1999, he has coached Marcos Baghdatis, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, Aravane Rezaï, Yanina Wickmayer, Laura Robson, Jérémy Chardy, Grigor Dimitrov, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Simona Halep, and Holger Rune.
Naomi Osaka’s Previous Coaches
Naomi Osaka has been previously coached by Leonard Francois, Patrick Tauma, Harold Solomon, David Taylor, Sascha Bajin, Jermaine Jenkins, and Wim Fissette.
From the age of three, Osaka received coaching from her father, Leonard Francois. Following her debut on the ITF Women's Circuit, Patrick Tauma was among her first coaches.
Moving on, in 2014, Osaka was coached by Harold Solomon, a former top-five player and French Open finalist, for seven months. He previously coached the likes of Jennifer Capriati and Mary Joe Fernández. However, after she lost at the 2016 US Open, the Japan Tennis Association (JTA) assisted in getting her a new coach, David Taylor.
Following the 2017 season, Osaka changed coach to Sascha Bajin, who has previously been a hitting partner of players like Caroline Wozniacki, Victoria Azarenka, and Serena Williams. Osaka became the world's number one then and won two Grand Slam singles titles and her first Premier Mandatory title under Bajin's coaching. However, Osaka unexpectedly broke up with Bajin shortly after winning the 2019 Australian Open.
From March 2019 until October, Osaka appointed Jermaine Jenkins as her new coach. Jenkins has previously served as Venus Williams' hitting partner. In September, Osaka temporarily substituted her father for him. Eventually, Wim Fissette was hired by her at the beginning of the 2020 season, but their coaching partnership ended in September 2024, after winning two majors.
FAQs on Naomi Osaka
A. Naomi Osaka turned professional in September 2013.
A. Naomi Osaka is known for her powerful baseline game and aggressive groundstrokes.
A. As of December 2024, Naomi Osaka is ranked No. 57 in singles in the world, according to the WTA.
A. Naomi Osaka is 27 years old as of December 2024. She was born on October 16, 1997.
A. Naomi Osaka has won a total of $22 million in prize money as of December 2024, according to the WTA.
