"The results weren’t good enough": Patrick Mouratoglou admits 'not doing good enough job' after split with Naomi Osaka

Ex-coach of Japan’s Naomi Osaka, Patrick Mouratoglou, has highlighted what led to his coaching stint ending on a disappointing note with the former world number one. Mouratoglou started working with Osaka in 204, but their partnership ended after a short span in July 2025.

At that time, Osaka, in a post on her social media platform X account, shared the news and highlighted that she had a ‘great experience’ working with Mouratoglou. She made the decision after being knocked out in the second round of the DC Open, where she lost to Britain’s Emma Raducanu. "Merci Patrick," she wrote. "It was such a great experience learning from you. Wishing you nothing but the best. You are one of the coolest people I've ever met and I'm sure I'll see you around."

Mouratoglou has recently spoken to English media outlet The Guardian, where he highlighted the reason behind the split. Mouratoglou stated that despite doing some very good work in the training ground, Osaka was not getting the results during the matches, which ‘ruined’ the relationship, and the split had to take place. Mouratoglou also admitted that he did not do a ‘good job’.

“The results weren’t good enough, which completely made sense,” said Mouratoglou. “I think we did a lot of good things but, at least from a coaching standpoint, the one thing that you don’t master can ruin the whole thing. I think she improved so much, I was seeing it on a daily basis. And her mindset was great. But she was not performing well enough during the matches, so that was the one piece that was ruining the whole thing. Looking back, I didn’t do a good enough job, otherwise the results would have been there.”

Mouratoglou then went on to highlight that the reason behind Osaka’s poor performances under his coaching had something to do with his coaching stint with the former world number one Serena Williams. Mouratoglou stated that his working with Serena put extra pressure on Osaka to produce the goods on the court.

“I also think that having me as a coach was a bit heavy for her, in regards to what I did with Serena for many years,” said Mouratoglou. “She mentioned it a few times actually, even publicly –- and I didn’t find a way to take that pressure away. I think maybe that’s why she wasn’t performing. As soon as I was not in the loop, she felt probably lighter. By not having that pressure, she could express her tennis more freely. But there are no hard feelings. She’s a great competitor.

Since the split with Mouratoglou, Osaka has produced some incredible performances. Since then, she featured in two competitions. At the Canadian Open, Osaka finished as a runner-up after losing to young sensation Victoria Mboko in the final with a score of 2-6, 6-4, 6-1. After that, Osaka featured at the US Open, where her journey ended after losing in the semifinal to America’s Amanda Anisimova with a score of 6-7, 7-6, 6-3. It was the first time Osaka lost in the quarterfinal, semifinal or the final of a Grand Slam. Talking about that, Mouratoglou stated that he was not at all surprised to see Osaka doing so well after his departure and stated that the outcome was the result of a lot of hard work behind the scenes.

“I’m not surprised at all because I know how much effort she put in,” said Mouratoglou. “When we split, I told her agent she was 100% ready – which I felt because her practice level was consistent and extremely high. She needed these breakthroughs, which she had quite fast, to probably realise that she was able to play with the best and beat them. For women’s tennis to have Naomi back in the mix is amazing. She’s one of the most iconic players of the last five years.”