Former world number one Naomi Osaka has split from her coach Wim Fissette.
It comes after she admitted to being frustrated with her recent results following an early exit at the US Open last month.
The Japanese tennis star started working with the Belgian in 2020 and had two spells with him.
Osaka, 26, has won two of her four Grand Slams – the 2020 US Open and the 2021 Australian Open – with Fissette in her corner.
“Four years, two Grand Slams and many memories. Thank you Wim for being a great coach and an even better person. I wish you the best,” Osaka wrote on Instagram.
Fissette joined Osaka in her return to tennis in January following the birth of her daughter in July 2023.
However, Osaka has only reached the quarter-finals in two of the 16 tournaments she has entered after her 15-month absence, and has not advanced beyond the second round of a Grand Slam.
“It’s been a little bit difficult because obviously I can only judge my performance based on my results,” she said after pulling out of the US Open last month.
“I feel faster. I feel better, but I lost in the second round. So it’s a little bit difficult.
“I feel like I’m working harder than I ever have in my life, so it has to turn into something.”
Fissette has worked with Kim Clijsters, Simona Halep, Johanna Konta, Angelique Kerber, Victoria Azarenka and others during a celebrated coaching career.
In Fissette’s mind, he and Osaka were on the verge of achieving something special in his comeback season.
“We were very close to a breakthrough,” he wrote in an Instagram post.
“When you’re doing the right things and you keep hearing from your peers that you’re on the right track, it’s hard not to still be there. As a coach, you continue to trust the process, knowing that the lessons are bringing you closer to trophies.
“After the US Open, Naomi decided to embark on a new path. I accepted it knowing that we end this second round with even more fond memories and gratitude for rebuilding her path.”
