'She can be one of the chosen few': Brad Gilbert highlights what Naomi Osaka must do to reclaim top-10 spot after coach Patrick Mouratoglou split

Tennis coach Rick Macci has highlighted what Naomi Osaka needs to do to return to her very best. Former world number one Osaka has had a tough time ever since returning to court after taking a long break to deal with pregnancy.

Since returning from the break at the start of 2024, Osaka has featured in the main round of seven Grand Slams but has never managed to get past the third round. This year, Osaka is having a better time overall compared to last year. She has played 32 matches at the highest level in 2025 and won 21 of them.

Her most recent outing was at the DC Open, where she was knocked out after losing to Britain’s Emma Raducanu in straight sets with a score of 6-4, 6-2. Osaka’s next assignment is set to be the Canada Open, where she will face Canada’s Ariana Arseneault in the opening round on Monday. Just two days before the start of the competition, Osaka announced that she is parting ways with her coach, Patrick Mouratoglou. The two started working together just 10 months ago. "Merci Patrick," wrote Osaka in a post share on the social media platform. "It was such a great experience learning from you. Wishing you nothing but the best. You are one of the coolest people I've ever met and I'm sure I'll see you around."

The development was seen as a cause of concern by Osaka’s supporters, who were already warned by the player herself in the past that she would consider retiring if things did not improve in the near future.

Needs and a proven voice: Brad Gilbert

"I don't think I'm the type of player that would hang around," said Osaka in December 2024. "I have a lot of respect for all the players on tour, but the point of my life that I'm at right now, if I'm not above a certain ranking, I don't see myself playing for a while. I'd rather spend time with my daughter if I'm not where I think I should be and where I feel like I can be. I think 2024 humbled me, but I also feel like I grew a lot," she said. "I worked way harder than I've ever worked before. So in that, I guess it was very painful to not get the results I wanted, but I feel like I'm growing and learning and I am really excited for this year [2025].”

Tennis coach Gilbert expressed his opinion about Osaka’s decision to part ways with Mouratoglou in a post on social media platform X. “Winning/ losing is a fine line. Naomi can flip the script with the right choice and what she 100% needs and a proven voice. Her split step is way off and overall anticipation is on vacation. This can be corrected if it is explained in detail and no doubt her confidence will not bail,” he wrote. “She can be back in the top ten by year end. Osaka has the juice but her court position has been loose. Her overall tactics has been wrong has to play too much D and hits long. If she has a proven focused voice, then when she launches, she will make a better choice.”

Gilbert, in a series of posts late, went on to highlight a technical problem that Osaka has faced. Gilbert believes that if the former world number one manages to overcome that issue, she will once again become the ‘chosen one’.

“Osaka has the serve. Unreal live arm. But her percentage can be higher,” he wrote. "Her racquet in the last few matches has been in the back area way too soon, creating less external shoulder rotation, and the leg drive is not triggering the racquet entry. Hard to see with the human eye, but if she addresses the serve from a science point of view once again, she can be one of the chosen few.”

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