Coaching Carousel Continues on the WTA Tour

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In an individual sport like tennis, there are only so many options a slumping player has at their disposal to try to change their luck. In team sports, trading individual players or altering the lines are options but tennis is an individual sport and you can’t trade yourself.

One move that players have available is to part ways with their coach and try to find a new voice that can help unlock the best version of themselves.

In recent weeks on the WTA Tour, three major coaching changes have made headlines.

Things got started on Sep. 14 when four-time Grand Slam champion and former World No. 1 Naomi Osaka announced that she was parting ways with long-time coach Wim Fissette. Ranked 75^th at the time the news broke, Osaka shared the following to her fans on Instagram:

"4 years, 2 Slams and a whole lot of memories. Thanks Wim for being a great coach and an even greater person, wishing you all the best."

The pair had begun their partnership prior to the 2020 season, parted ways during the summer of 2022, and then reunited when she began training for her return post-maternity leave. There was progress this year for Osaka but clearly not at the rate she had hoped for.

Osaka quickly revealed that she will begin immediately working with high-profile coach Patrick Mouratoglou, former coach of Serena Williams, who most recently worked with rising ATP star Holger Rune. The Frenchman worked wonders with Serena in the later stages of her career so it stands to reason that he might be the best coach to help Osaka make the most of her second phase on tour.

Read also: Sprint to the finish line

Fissette is well positioned to bounce back in short order as his coaching resume includes working with the likes of Victoria Azarenka, Kim Clijsters, Simona Halep and Angelique Kerber.

Mere days after that major coaching announcement, 20-year-old American Coco Gauff made the decision to end her very successful 14-month-long partnership with Brad Gilbert. The two had immediate success when they teamed up at the start of the summer in 2023, winning titles in Washington DC, Cincinnati, and at the US Open for her maiden Grand Slam title. Gauff rose as high as No. 2 in the world but this summer she seemed to stagnate in her progress, ultimately leading to the coaching change.

Gauff has started working with Matt Daly and they have hit the ground running with a title this past week in Beijing, where she defeated Karolina Muchova 6-1, 6-3 in the final.

The young American shared the following about the decision to change coaches at this early stage of her career.

“What a coach has to offer, I think it depends on what point in your career you’re at, what you’re looking for,” she said. “Obviously right now I’m very young, so I’m looking just for someone to help me develop in the long-term process, try to help make my game as complete as I can be.”

The 63-year-old Gilbert can return to maximizing his time as one of the top television commentators in the sport or find a new charge in short order should he choose. The list of players he’s worked with is lengthy in terms of all-time greats including Andre Agassi, Andy Roddick and Andy Murray.

The final major coaching shake-up of the fall so far happened a week ago when World No. 1 Iga Swiatek opted to make a change. It’s not all that often that the top-ranked player decides to part ways with their coach.

Swiatek had been working with fellow Pole Tomasz Wiktorowski for the past three years, a stretch that has seen her take control of the No. 1 ranking and accumulate four of her five major titles. The Pole has not found a replacement just yet.

All three of the aforementioned players could have continued on with their previous coaches and possibly figured out how to get back on their usual track. However, they weren’t content to let their slumps hold them back any longer.

For now, let’s see how new arrivals like Mouratoglou and Daly can help as well as the 2024 season nears its conclusion.

The WTA's best return to Montreal next summer for the National Bank Open July 26 to Aug. 7, 2025 at IGA Stadium. 2024 Tickets are on sale. Get your tickets today!

Feature Photo: Peter Power