Naomi Osaka Parts Ways With Second Coach This Year

Naomi Osaka at THE 2018 US Open
Naomi Osaka at the 2018 US Open. Photo by Juergen Hasenkopf/BPI/REX/Shutterstock (9870975dn)

The 2019 Australian Open champion Naomi Osaka is once again looking for a new coach. Osaka announced on Friday that she parted ways with Jermaine Jenkins, who coached her for the previous six months.

Jenkins became Osaka’s coach in March, taking over from Sascha Bajin. Their collaboration, however, wasn’t as fruitful as expected.

With Jenkins as her coach, Osaka only reached the third round at French Open and then was eliminated in the first round of Wimbledon. She also had a disappointing campaign to defend her US Open title, being eliminated in the fourth round.

“I’m super grateful for the time we spent together and the things I learned on and off the court, but I feel like now is an appropriate time for a change,” – Osaka wrote on social media, confirming her decision.

Changing coaches is becoming something of a frequent occurrence for Naomi Osaka. After being coached by her father early in her career, Osaka worked with the likes of Harold Solomon and David Taylor. Her career, however, really took off when Sascha Bajin came into the mix.

Bajin became Osaka’s coach in 2018 and helped her become the No.1 ranked tennis player in the world and win two Grand Slam titles. However, shortly after her Australian Open win, Osaka announced their split, saying that she “wouldn’t put success over [her] happiness.”

Harley loves music and tries to go to a music festival every summer. When he's not listening to music, he writes about movies, food and wine, art, and sport.