"Any good coach would've made Serena Williams a better player... Patrick Mouratoglou has arguably f**ked up Simona Halep's life" - Rennae Stubbs

Naomi Osaka's decision to hire Serena Williams' former coach Patrick Mouratoglou has stumped Rennae Stubbs. Stubbs opined that Osaka should've taken the Frenchman's involvement in Simona Halep's doping scandal into consideration before making her decision.

Osaka recently announced her decision to end her four-year partnership with her coach, Wim Fissette. They worked together from 2019 to 2022 and reunited this season, when the former World No. 1 made a comeback after giving birth to her daughter Shai. During their time together, Fissette guided the Japanese to two of her four Grand Slam titles at the 2020 US Open and the 2021 Australian Open.

Naomi Osaka has already chosen Fissette's replacement, partnering with Patrick Mouratoglou, who coached Serena Williams to 10 Grand Slam titles and an Olympic gold medal. On the latest episode of the Rennae Stubbs Tennis Podcast, Stubbs suggested that the Japanese's decision might've been motivated by Mouratoglou's role in "moulding" Williams.

"Well, she’s always looked up to Serena so maybe she’s thinking that this is going to be her moment where she can pick up someone who has moulded the Serena Williams person," Stubbs said.

However, Stubbs, who worked with Serena Williams during the 2022 US Open, suggested that Mouratoglou wasn't responsible for the American success. The 53-year-old argued that any capable coach could've helped the 23-time Grand Slam champion since she already possessed all the necessary skills to succeed.

"I would argue and say that there’s a lot of coaches that could’ve made a huge difference in Serena Williams’ life. When he picked her up, she was in a bit of a slump but anyone with a brain in their head knows that every player goes through slumps and someone as good as Serena was always going to bounce back. This is a player that got to where she got to with her mom and dad being the ones helping her navigate that," Stubbs said.

"Any good coach would’ve made Serena Williams, I’m sorry, a better player. They would’ve. With those tools, with that serve, her work ethic. I worked with her, I know. Her work ethic was unbelievable, she pushed herself really hard on the court and her determination won her so many matches through the years as well as her tennis," she added.

The Australian further questioned why players "bowed down" to Mouratoglou's expertise when he hadn't accomplished anything extraordinary outside of his partnership with Williams.

Rennae Stubbs also suggested that Osaka should be "wary" of aligning herself with Mouratoglou since he had "f**ked up" Simona Halep's career. The Frenchman has taken responsibility for his team providing Halep with the collagen supplement that was contaminated with Roxadustat, which resulted in the Romanian's doping suspension.

"Since then, before Serena and after Serena, what are the great accomplishments? These players just bow down and think he’s going to be the difference maker in my life," she said.

"I mean, he arguably has f**ked up Simona Halep’s life with these allegations of who is the one who brought these people in and put the stuff in her drinks or whatever the hell and she’s now had a two-year suspension. I don’t know, I’d be a little wary of having people around me that had those credentials," she added.

"Taylor Swift song 'If I was a man' song is just hitting me" - Rennae Stubbs reacts to Naomi Osaka's partnership with Serena Williams' ex-coach Patrick Mouratoglou

Serena Williams with former coach Patrick Mouratoglou (Source: Getty)

As reports of Naomi Osaka's partnership with Serena Williams' former coach Patrick Mouratoglou surfaced after her split with Wim Fissette, Rennae Stubbs shared a cryptic reaction on social media.

Making a pointed reference to Taylor Swift's hit song 'The Man,' Stubbs took a cheeky dig at the "hilarious" coaching carousel in tennis.

"Taylor Swift song “if i was a man” song is just hitting me today. The tennis coaching world is hilarious! 😂 🤔🙄," Stubbs posted on X.

Naomi Osaka will likely debut her new partnership with Patrick Mouratoglou at the WTA 1000 China Open, set to commence on September 25. Osaka will feature in a star-studded lineup, joining defending champion Iga Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff in Beijing.