Archive of posts tagged her Roland Garros

Osaka to Trial Swiatek’s Ex-Coach Wiktorowski 

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By Richard Pagliaro | Monday, July 28, 2025
Photo credit: Julian Finney/Getty

Naomi Osaka didn’t waste time moving on from ex-coach Patrick Mouratoglou.

Former world No. 1 Osaka will begin working with Polish coach Tomasz Wiktorowski, Iga Swiatek’s ex-coach, on a trial basis starting in Montreal this week.

It’s a case of trading coaches as Swiatek currently works with Osaka’s ex-coach Wim Fissette.

The Polish website Polski Tennis reported the new partnership, confirmed by journalist Courtney Nguyen.

Under Coach Wiktorowski’s guidance, Swiatek captured four of her six Grand Slam titles. The pair parted in October of 2024 with Swiatek subsequently hiring Osaka’s ex-coach. Though Swiatek did not defend her Roland Garros championship, she made history as the first Polish player to win Wimbledon crushing Amanda Anisimova, 6-0, 6-0, in The Championships final earlier this month.

Swiatek commenced her run with Wiktorowski at the end of the 2021 season. The pair captured four of Swiatek’s Grand Slam titles during their three-year partnership, and logged 19 of Swiatek’s 22 career titles. She was previously coached by Piotr Sierzputowski, and the pair won Roland-Garros together in 2020. 

“Coach Wiktorowski joined my team for three seasons, when I strongly needed changes and a fresh approach to my game,” Swiatek said after splitting wtih the Polish coach. “His experience, analytical and strategic attitude and enormous knowledge about tennis helped us to achieve things I’ve never dreamed of only a few months after we started working together.

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“Our main goal was to become No.1 player in the world and coach Wiktorowski was the one who said it first. We aimed very high, we headed to every tournament with a clear goal to win it. Together with coach Wiktorowski we won many tournaments and 4 Grand Slams.”

Osaka announced her split from Patrick Mouratoglou, who coached her for nearly 11 months, over the weekend.

“Merci Patrick. It was such a great experience learning from you,” Osaka posted on Instagram. “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.”

Kessler Dethrones Nottingham Champion Boulter

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McCartney Kessler conquered two-time Nottingham champion Katie Boulter for her first grass-court semifinal.Austin

By Tennis Now | @Tennis_Now | Friday, June 20, 2025
Photo credit: Nathan Stirk/Getty for LTA

McCartney Kessler continues her grass groove.

World No. 42 Kessler dethroned two-time Nottingham champion and home hero Katie Boulter 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 to advance to her maiden grass-court semifinal at the Nottingham Open today.

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Kessler saved 11 of 15 break points snapping the Briton's 12-match winning streak in Notthingham in two hours, seven minutes.

The 25-year-old American battled into her first semifinal since she fell to Jessica Pegula in the Austin final in February.

It is Kessler's second three-set win of the week as she improved to 19-14 on the season.

Kessler will play Rebecca Sramkova for a spot in Sunday's final.

Sramkova stopped seventh-seeded Linda Noskova 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 in today's final quarterfinal.

Earlier, sixth-seeded Magda Linette toppled No. 2-seeded Clara Tauson 6-2, 7-5.  

World No. 31 Linette avenged her Roland Garros first-round loss to Tauson last month.

Linette will play Dayana Yastremska in tomorrow's semifinals.

Yastremska beat former US Open finalist Leylah Fernandez 6-3, 7-6(6)—her first win over the Canadian left-hander in three meetings to reach her first grass-court semifinal.

Sabalenka on RG Reaction: Completely Unprofessional

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"I absolutely regret what I said back then," Aryna Sabalenka said of her controversial comments after losing the Roland Garros final.Aryna Sabalenka

By Richard Pagliaro | @Tennis_Now | Tuesday, June 17, 2025
Photo credit: Julien DeRosa-AFP-Getty

Reality has induced regret in Aryna Sabalenka.

World No. 1 Sabalenka calls her behavior after her Roland Garros final loss to Coco Gauff "completely unprofessional" and shared she wrote a letter to the two-time Grand Slam champion apologizing for her behavior.

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The US Open champion said while we all have bad days at work "the difference with me is…I get a lot more hate for what I did."

"I absolutely regret what I said back then," Sabalenka told Eurosport Germany. "You know, we all make mistakes. I’m just a human being who’s still learning in life. "I think we all have those days when we lose control.

"The difference with me is, the world is watching. I get a lot more hate for what I did than other people."

In the first French Open final between the world’s top two women in 12 years, No. 2 Gauff was simply too tough for No. 1 Sabalenka at crunch time.

A resilient Coco Gauff combated Sabalenka’s fierce power with pure poise pulling off a 6-7(5), 6-2, 6-4 comeback to capture her maiden Roland Garros championship in a thriller.

Afterward, the world’s best player called it her worst final.

“It was really honestly the worst tennis I've played in the last, I don't know, in the last I don't know how many month,” Sabalenka told the media in Paris afterward. “Conditions were terrible, and she simply was better in these conditions than me.

"I think it was the worst final I ever played.”

Sabalenka, who struggled to cope with whipping winds and an unrelenting Gauff's comprehensive court coverage, took criticism afterward for what some felt were ungracious and classless comments.

The top-seeded Sabalenka committed 70 unforced errors. Sabalenka said at times she felt the tennis universe was playing a cosmic joke on her with Gauff’s running retrievals turning her damaging drives into punch lines.

“I mean, honestly sometimes it felt like she was hitting the ball from the frame,” Sabalenka said. “Somehow magically the ball lands in the court, and you kind of, like, on the back foot.

“It felt like a joke, honestly, like somebody from above was just staying there laughing, like, let's see if you can handle this. And I couldn't today.”

Reflecting on her comments, Sabalenka said she was upset after a physically and emotionally draining defeat and spoke out of frustration.

Since then, Sabalenka said she has apologized to Gauff.

"I was super emotional and not very smart at that press conference," Sabalenka added. "It took me a while to revisit it, to approach it with open eyes, and to understand. I realized a lot about myself. Why did I lose so many finals? I kept getting so emotional.

"So I learned a lot. Above all, one thing: I’m the one who always treats my opponents with great respect - whether I win or lose.

"Without that respect, I wouldn’t be where I am today. So it was a tough but very instructive lesson for me."

Aryna Sabalenka: Quit Your Job

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World No. 1 sends clear message to former coaches.Amanda Anisimova

By Richard Pagliaro | @Tennis_Now | Friday, May 30, 2025
Photo credit: Clive Brunskill/Getty

Tennis is an ongoing educational experience.

Today, Aryna Sabalenka schooled her skeptical teachers.

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World No. 1 Sabalenka tamed tricky lefty Olga Danilovic 6-2, 6-3 powering into the Roland Garros fourth round for the third straight year.

Three-time major champion Sabalenka, who improved to a Tour-best 37-6 in 2025, will face former French Open semifinalist Amanda Anisimova in a blockbuster fourth-round battle between two massive hitters.

Today, Sabalenka sent major message to coaches who slammed her as too “stupid” to make her mark as a pro: Quit your job.

Recalling junior coaches who questioned her mental strength, Sabalenka told those skeptics: You know nothing.

“I always been quite motivated and they didn’t have to push me,” Sabalenka said of her rise through the ranks. “But I have heard a lot [of coaches] saying I’m not smart enough, that I’m stupid, and I’ll never make it, and I don’t have anything to make it to the top.

“I guess I want to send a quick message to them to quit their job.

“Because honestly, I think they know nothing and they better quit just to save other players.”

Asked how she reacted to critical coaches claiming she was too witless to be a winner on the WTA Tour, Sabalenka said she laughed in their face.

“I was just laughing and saying: We’ll see,” Sabalenka said.

A sharp Sabalenka has surrendered just 10 games in three tournament wins this week.

Following her crushing conquest of Kamilla Rakhimova 6-1, 6-0 in her Roland Garros opener, Sabalenka shared her parents were never pushy about her career pursuit. However, the Belarusian said she saw demanding Eastern European coaches burn young players out.

“I definitely say that Eastern European school is very tough. I think that’s why whoever survive that school, they’re really tough,” Sabalenka said after round one.

On the one hand, Sabalenka said surviving her junior training made her a tougher competitor, but on the other hand she saw some fellow players broken by “brutal” coaches making punishing demands.

“I have to say that probably because of the environment and in the history of European countries, we are much tougher,” Sabalenka told the media in Paris. “Whoever got through the tough stuff, they, like, mentally and physically, they much stronger than probably, not like the rest of the world, but most of the girls on tour…

“I definitely think that the environment we have in our countries, which is like very tough and coaches are very brutal, you know, there is nothing nice about the way they, like, work with their players, they quite rude. I think that’s why maybe our mentality is much stronger, but also, the same time, they kind of like broke so many players because of that aggressive mindset.

“I think in Europe and the States, the environment is much healthier.”

 
Continuing her quest for a maiden Roland Garros crown, Sabalenka said she’s inspired by Grand Slam king Novak Djokovic still going strong at age 38 and was moved seeing the Big 4 reunite for Roland Garros’ royal celebration send off for King of Clay Rafael Nadal.

“Imagine if he gonna retire tomorrow, then everyone going to be sad, no? Don’t you think so?” Sabalanka said. “Then there is another like 10, 15 years to Jannik and Alcaraz to become one of the greatest. But just, you know, let him be.

“You know, it was so sad to see the ceremony, big four were on the court and you understand that three of them retired. Everyone missing their games.

“So let’s just let Novak to be there to show and fight and show his greatness and to inspire that generation.”