Former WTA player Alize Lim spoke about Naomi Osaka's new coaching partnership with Patrick Mouratoglou, which was very surprising.
Osaka famously 'stole away coach Wim Fissette from Qinwen Zheng ahead of her return. The Chinese player famously lambasted both Osaka and her former coach for how abruptly he ended his partnership with her to coach Osaka.
They haven't lasted even a full season, as the partnership is now over. After months of what were perceived as solid results, Osaka parted her ways with Fissette, seemingly unhappy with the way the season unfolded.
She famously had some lofty goals ahead of the season, such as returning to the Top 10 on the WTA Tour, but that hasn't happened. Her tennis, for the most part, looked competitive but obviously not nearly as good as she once played.
She can get there, but it will take her a bit more time, and Osaka feels like somebody else would be better suited to help her to achieve that. The choice was made swiftly, and it's none other than Patrick Mouratoglou.
He's coached some really prominent tennis players, and Osaka is the latest one who will try and see whether he can transform her tennis career. Former player Alize Lim, who competed against Osaka and beat her once in 2015, spoke with the Inside-In podcast on the Tennis Channel about the new partnership.
"I was not surprised because, despite the fact she was coming back from motherhood, we knew how high her goals were. For sure, she’s 100% disappointed and 100% wants to go higher quickly."
"She has the weapons and she has the level to go back there – remember her match against Iga Swiatek at the French Open."
Ultimately, Lim doesn't want to question the choices made by Osaka because she knows why she made the choice she did. If she feels like there is something to be gained from that partnership, then people shouldn't doubt that.
Lim certainly believes that Mouratoglou is a good enough coach to help the Japanese player to return to that former level, and if she does, it will be amazing because the former World No. 1 can produce an incredible level of tennis that is very exciting to watch.
One thing Lim thinks could be greatly beneficial for Osaka is Mouratoglou's ability to make players believe in themselves, which Osaka seems to be lacking a little bit right now.
"She knows more than us. She can feel it inside and I feel it would be a great association with Patrick Mouratoglou, to be honest. It’s so exciting to watch her play. She would bring so much to women’s tennis if she could get back to that level."
"It will be interesting to see what he does tactically with her but also psychologically. I think his strength is to really help the player believe in themselves. This what she needs now, and that’s life; if the sparks happen, and if there’s chemistry between two people, you cannot know before trying."
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