Naomi Osaka has been a woman transformed in Montreal, playing with a freedom and confidence that we have not seen for some time.
It’s so refreshing to see the former world number one thrive once again in a big tournament, and will now face Victoria Mboko for the chance to win her first-ever Canadian Open title.
She has plenty of history competing for elite honours, but those days seem so long ago. Her last title at any level came back in 2021, when she won the Australian Open.
Therefore, the dynamic for Thursday night’s final will be a really intriguing one, pitting two players against one another who could not be more opposed in terms of experience.
Many have praised Naomi Osaka for the way in which she has suddenly turned things around in Montreal after a tough 2025, laden with shock defeats.
The big change Naomi Osaka has made at the Canadian Open
One man in particular has now pinpointed the exact change made by Osaka to inspire this return to form, as Rick Macci took to X.
As the former coach of both Serena and Venus Williams, his experience in aiding the early development of these two superstars adds great credence to his claims.
And, given that Patrick Mouratoglou also coached the former of those two sisters, and has most recently spent time alongside Osaka, this is a subject where Macci’s voice feels particularly relevant.
Seeking to outline the ‘biggest difference’ he’s noticed in the 27-year-old, he admitted: “Was asked the biggest difference I see in Osaka now with Wiktorowski than before. From 30 thousand Feet the number one thing I see is her Feet. Naomi getting MORE balls back from the ally and staying in the rally. That alone brings more juice and makes you play loose.”
It feels like, since Osaka has split with Mouratoglou, there is a newfound freedom in her play, which has allowed her to storm into the final, dropping just one set.
Patrick Mouratoglou reveals why he split with Naomi Osaka
Speaking to CNN, just over a week after the confirmation of their split, the French coach has now emerged to give his reasons behind the termination of their working relationship.
He revealed: “The thing that was missing was the competitiveness. I think she’s a great competitor, but at that time she was not as good as a competitor as I think can be and she has been in the past. And this is the thing that we didn’t solve.
“I wish we could have more time to solve it. But we didn’t, that’s life, and I have no regrets on that because that’s the rule when you work in high level. I mean, time is important, and you have to solve the problems fast. So I think that was the key that was missing.
“And when we stopped, I said to her, ‘I mean, I think you’re ready. If you find the person that will help you get back your efficiency during the matches, I think you’re ready to do great results right now, and I hope it’s going to happen very soon.”
It’s fair to say that this success has happened far sooner than he, or anyone could have expected, with Osaka having stormed to the final of the Canadian Open in her first event since separating from Mouratoglou.
