Tennis coach Patrick Mouratoglou speaks about the separation of Naomi Osaka

Tennis coach Patrick Mouratoglou speaks about the separation of Naomi Osaka

A little more than a week ago, shortly before the start of the Canadian Open, it was announced that Naomi Osaka separated from her coach Patrick Mouratoglou, which ended her 10-month partnership. Now the four-time Grand Slam champion on the hard sites in the weeks before the US Open is fighting for a strong comeback.

Mouratoglou supports Osaka

A person who keeps their fingers crossed for their success is Mouratoglou. In an interview with CNN Sports he expressed itself optimistically: "She is currently playing well in Montreal. Let us hope that it will last to the end. I think your level is high."

"Physically she is ready and she is a great competition. She is a great champions. At some point it will work out, I have no doubt about that."

Osakas impressive performance in Montreal

Currently in 49th place in the world rankings, Osaka shows the best performance of the season, on Canadian soil - and on a surface where she achieved the best results in her career. In Montreal, she meets Elina Svitolina for a place in the semi -finals on Tuesday evening.

"I'm just trying to win on hard court," said Osaka on Sunday after she moved into the quarter -finals. "I think I am currently quite confident."

a restless way with Mouratoglou

The results of the cooperation between Osaka and Mouratoglou were mixed, with injuries and uneven performance. Osaka won since motherhood in May at a WTA 125-Event in France. In January she reached her first WTA tour final since her return from motherhood, but had to give up because of a belly injury during the game. Your best results at Grand Slams this year are the achievement of the round of the last 32 at the Australian Open and Wimbledon.

Mouratoglou about the separation

Mouratoglou, known for his great success as a coach of Serena Williams, spoke to CNN about the separation of Osaka and her subsequent performance in Montreal: "What was missing was the competitiveness. I think she is a great fighter, but at that time she was not as competitive as I hoped."

"I wish we had more time to work on it. But life is like that, and I have no regrets, because that's the rule when you work at a high level. Time is important and you have to solve problems quickly. That was the key that was missing."

Mouratoglous book and his philosophy

Mouratoglou published a book entitled "Champion Mindset", which deals with the mental approach in sports and in life. When asked by CNN whether he would describe himself as a tennis coach or mental coach, he replied: "The mental component is a huge part of this sport, probably the most important part. Therefore, it is crucial that trainers can also help the players in this regard."

New collaboration with Tomasz Wiktorowski

After the separation from Mouratoglou, Osaka began working with the Polish tennis coach Tomasz Wiktorowski, who for his successes with Iga Swiatek . In her three -year partnership, Swiatek won four big titles. Wiktorowski also coaches another former Polish tennis star, Agnieszka Radwanska.

Osaka was positive about working with Wiktorowski on Sunday: "I enjoy his coaching style. He is very direct and gets to the point. For someone like me, whose thoughts often shove around, this is very helpful."

Osaka's view of success

How Osaka measures her current success remains devoted to the big tournaments. She said, "I spoke to my father and he said, 'Being healthy and happy is a form of success.' I agree with that, but I want more."

"Of course I would also like to win Grand Slams, I want to get under the top 10, but I think I have to take back and pursue smaller goals that ultimately lead to the big goals."

"I consider reaching the quarter -finals here as a step towards the semi -finals and finals, so I will try to look at it more."