Naomi Osaka’s coach Wim Fissette has revealed he is “super happy” with how she has progressed since her return to the tour as he discussed her ongoing issues playing on clay.
Former world No 1 and four-time major winner Osaka returned to the WTA Tour in January, having given birth to her first child in August 2023.
The Japanese ace impressed at times during the hard court season, recording wins over the likes of Caroline Garcia and Liudmila Samsonova across the opening quarter of 2024.
But, perhaps unsurprisingly, clay courts have been more of a struggle, with Osaka holding a 1-2 record on the dirt after campaigns in Rouen and Madrid.
She is back on the surface at the Italian Open this week, with an opening-round match against Clara Burel before a potential meeting against 19th seed Marta Kostyuk.
And, despite the negative record, Fissette believes what he has seen from his charge so far has been “very promising.”
Speaking to Tennis Sweet Spot, he said: “I’m super happy with the process.
“Regarding clay, specifically, it’s been a long time since she played on clay and a very long time since she was successful on clay so we cannot expect miracles.
“We might hope for them but we have to be realistic. When we got here five or six days ago, and where we are now: the process is super positive.
“But of course, losing is always disappointing and, of course, we want more. We are disappointed for her because with all the work she’s doing, I really hope she’s going to be rewarded soon.
“It’s just experience and time spent on the clay. It is different, you need time to make some tactical adjustments. Of course, the movement is different, the bounce is different as it’s a higher contact.
“But if you just think about the last five years, how many hours has she spent on clay and how many matches has she played on clay? Therefore what I saw was very promising.”
Osaka’s entourage has been boosted in recent months by the addition of Simone Elliott, a former gymnast and wife of fitness trainer Florian Ziztelsberger.
And Fissette, who has also worked with the likes of Angelique Kerber, believes this move has already made a positive impact.
“Yes, I see her improving a lot,” said Fissette.
“The idea came from Flo, and Simone is also his wife. She has helped other players on the Tour, she’s amazing at what she does.
“She’s a really great person to have on the team. Naomi’s flexibility is better, her range of movement is getting better, and she’s getting stronger on the reach just because she’s more flexible I think.
“Novak Djokovic is also working with people like that. It’s just a matter of working on every part of her body and her game.”
