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Rick Macci suggestions Naomi Osaka to drag off "many upsets" in 2026 as Serena Williams' childhood coach additionally believes that the top-10 would be the Japanese's "greatest pal."
After battling consistency and failing to get to her desired outcomes a yr and a half into her post-pregnancy comeback, the previous world No. 1 changed Patrick Mouratoglou with Iga Swiatek's ex-coach Tomasz Wiktorowski.
The affect was prompt as Osaka reached her first WTA 1000 closing since 2022 in Montreal. Just a few weeks later, the 28-year-old additionally made the US Open semifinal – that was her first last-four outing at a Grand Slam for the reason that 2021 Australian Open.
Naturally, back-to-back sturdy runs on the largest stage positively impacted the Japanese's rating, who went from being ranked exterior the top-50 in June to ending the season at No. 16.
Osaka confirmed flashes of her previous tennis within the second a part of 2025, and he or she shouldn't lack any confidence forward of the 2026 Australian Open.
Macci: Osaka was a unique participant after making a training change… The highest-10 shall be her greatest pal in 2026
"Osaka to be the wildcard and pull many upsets this yr. High ten shall be her greatest pal and be proper there ultimately. She was a unique participant final yr with the teaching change and had readability motivation and a greater understanding of the geometry of the court docket," Macci wrote on X.
Osaka to be the wildcard and pull many upsets this yr. High ten shall be her greatest pal and be proper there ultimately. She was a unique participant final yr with the teaching change and had readability motivation and a greater understanding of the geometry of the court docket. @naomiosaka
— Rick Macci (@RickMacci) December 29, 2025
In the meantime, Osaka landed in Perth over the weekend as she is about to kick off her season on the United Cup.
“I hope so. I assume I’ll let you realize after my first few matches, however I believe so. I really feel like yearly I’m slowly getting stronger, so I hope subsequent yr I’m higher too," the previous world No. 1 mentioned when requested if she was prepared for 2026.
Osaka will begin her season on Friday when she takes on former world No. 3 Maria Sakkari on the United Cup.
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