Renowned coach Rick Macci believes Naomi Osaka could return to the top 10 by the end of the 2025 season

Tuesday, 29 July 2025 at 04:30

Former World No.1 Naomi Osaka is yet to rediscover her Grand Slam winning ways, but legendary coach Rick Macci sees her making a return to the top ten on the WTA Rankings before the season is over.

The Japanese superstar is currently competing at the 2025 Canadian Open in Montreal, where she defeated local qualifier Ariana Arseneault in straight sets. Osaka will face 13th seed Liudmila Samsonova in the second round, after the Russian was granted a bye in her first match.

During her peak, Osaka reigned over the WTA Tour. The 27-year old reached the World No.1 ranking, a position she held for 25 weeks starting in January 2019. Furthermore, she captured four Grand Slam singles titles and was on the road to winning many more.

However, Osaka took some time off to deal address her mental health. Subsequently, she gave birth to her first child soon after, requiring more time on the sidelines. Osaka would return during the 2024 season, but is yet to win a WTA main draw title despite prevailing at a WTA 125K event in Saint Malo during the 2025 clay court season.

Osaka can climb back to the top of the rankings, says Macci

Having coached the likes of WTA legend Serena Williams and former World No.1 Maria Sharapova in their early years, Macci is familiar with having a winning mindset. The American coach spoke about Osaka's current struggles in a series of tweets, and predicted the Japanese superstar could rediscover her form sooner rather than later.

"She can be back in the top ten by year end," began Macci. "Naomi Osaka has the juice but her court position has been loose. Her overall tactics has been wrong has to play too much D and hits long. If she has a proven focused voice then when she launches she will make a better choice.
"Osaka has the serve. Unreal live arm. But her percentage can be higher as her racquet the last few matches has been in the back area way too soon creating less external shoulder rotation and the leg drive is not triggering the racquet entry. Had to see with the human eye but if she addresses the serve from a science point of view once again she can be one of the chosen few."

The two-time Australian Open champion recently parted ways with coach Patrick Mouratoglou, and has yet to make any announcements on finding his successor.

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Naomi Osaka starts her Montreal campaign with a routine 6-4, 6-2 win over Canadian Ariana Arseneault.

She will face #16 Liudmila Samsonova in R2. pic.twitter.com/Dn3sB9b8GD
— José Morgado (@josemorgado) July 28, 2025

Arthur Ajayi

Growing up in a household where soccer was king, my earliest memories are filled with chants from packed stadiums and the rhythm of a ball being passed across neighborhood streets. But somewhere along the way, the quiet elegance and raw emotion of tennis pulled me in. What began as a curiosity became a lifelong passion; not just for the sport itself, but for the stories it tells: of grit, of heartbreak, of improbable comebacks and human resilience.

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