By Richard Pagliaro | Tuesday, August 4, 2026
Photo credit: Shaun Brooks/CameraSport
A year after her run to the National Bank Open final, Naomi Osaka is back in Canada celebrating a successful alliance.
A year ago in Canada, Osaka began working with coach Tomasz Wiktorowski, who split with former No. 1 Iga Swiatek in the spring of 2025.
The partnership paid immediate dividends: Osaka reached the Montreal final falling to Canadian Victoria Mboko.
Osaka arrived in Canada ranked No. 49. She returns to Toronto this week ranked No. 13 and credits the “wild ride” she’s shared with Wiktorowski in propelling her.
“I mean, it’s been a wild ride. We were kind of talking about that in DC,” said of the partnership.
The four-time Grand Slam champion said a primary reason for the success is Wiktorowski tells her what she needs to hear, not necessarily what she wants to hear.
“I would say he’s brought out the best tennis, well, I mean, he kind of just tells me the truth all the time,” Osaka told the media in Toronto. “Like, obviously we’re in this together, but there are moments where I dip and he’ll like tell me like, Hey, he’s like, You need to get it together, or things like that.
“But on the court he’s a really great coach. I don’t know, I just feel like we work really well together, so I’m excited to continue.”
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