"Wim Fissette got played" - Serena Williams' ex-coach Rennae Stubbs and journalist Caitlin Thompson weigh in on Naomi Osaka's coaching split
Naomi Osaka recently parted with coach Wim Fissette, and not long after, the Japanese announced that Patrick Mouratoglou would guide her going forward. Rennae Stubbs, a former coach of Serena Williams like Mouratoglou, and journalist Caitlin Thompson have reacted to the developments in Osaka's camp.
Fissette was named as Osaka's coach in early 2020 and went on to lead the Japanese to two Grand Slam titles: the 2020 US Open and the 2021 Australian Open. These Major triumphs took Osaka's Grand Slam title tally to four. The Japanese and the Belgian split for the first time in 2022.
During the former WTA World No. 1's maternity leave last year, the Belgian joined Zheng Qinwen's team but later controversially started working again with Naomi Osaka again.
Recently, Osaka confirmed via an Instagram post that she and Fissette would no longer be working together.
"Four years, two slams and a whole lot of memories. Thanks Wim for being a great coach and an even greater person. Wishing you all the best," Osaka wrote.
On the back of announcing her split with Fissette, the four-time Major winner confirmed that Patrick Mouratoglou would be her coach going forward. Rennae Stubbs, a former doubles No. 1, and Caitlin Thompson, a prominent tennis journalist, collectively discussed what may have led to the Belgian's departure from the Japanese national's camp.
There has been some speculation that Wim Fissette's split with Naomi Osaka stemmed from monetary reasons. Stubbs weighed in on that, citing her own example from her days as a coach and how she would steer clear of taking bonuses from her players if they didn't muster deep runs at tournaments.
However, according to the former doubles No. 1, there are coaches who take a percentage of their players' prize money as bonuses even if the players suffer early losses.
"If they're losing in the first round, I'm not taking seven percent of their freaking prize money, but there are coaches who do that," Stubbs said in a recent episode of The Rennae Stubbs Tennis Podcast. (at 11:55)
Later, Caitlin Thompson, tennis journalist and founder of Racquet Magazine, added her own two cents on the subject. According to Thompson, Fissette "got played" by Osaka. The journalist also opined that it was the Japanese who initiated the split.
"I think he (Wim Fissette) got played. I think she (Osaka), based on no insider knowledge whatsoever, but based on the fact that she already has, what appears to be, her next coach lined up, and Wim Fisette does not have, what appears to be, his next player lined up. As far as we know, it does seem to indicate based on speculation that maybe she initiated this and wanted a change," Thompson added (at 12:57).
Stubbs also took to social media in the aftermath of Osaka's split with Fissette and the then-rumored collaboration with Mouratoglou to poke fun at the world of coaching in tennis using a Taylor Swift song reference.
Rennae Stubbs turned to a Taylor Swift song to critique coaching in tennis after Naomi Osaka's team's latest shake-up
Following Naomi Osaka's confirmation that Wim Fissette would no longer serve her as coach, rumors began swirling about a potential collaboration between the Japanese and Patrick Mouratoglou. These developments led to Rennae Stubbs sharing a cryptic post on X (formerly Twitter), in which she used a Taylor Swift song reference to describe the coaching merry-go-round in tennis.
"Taylor Swift song "if i was a man" song is just hitting me today. The tennis coaching world is hilarious," Stubbs wrote.
Naomi Osaka is yet to rediscover her best form following her comeback to the WTA Tour earlier this year. Across the four Majors she has featured in this season, she could not get past the second round.