News: Naomi's got a coach on the way

Actual breaking news: Four-time Grand Slam champion and former No.1 Naomi Osaka has invited Tomasz Wiktorowski for a coaching trial. The news was first reported at Polski-Tennis.pl.

I reached out to Osaka's agent, Stuart Duguid at Evolve, and he confirmed that Wiktorowski is on his way to Montreal for a meeting and trial at this week's Omnium Banque Nationale. Per Duguid, it sounds like it will be more of an observational week, rather than full-on coaching right out of the gate

Earlier this week, now-ranked No.49 Naomi announced the end to her 10-month coaching partnership with Patrick Mouratoglou. The news came on the heels of her straight-set loss to Emma Raducanu in Washington D.C.

In Wiktorowski, she has found a veteran coach who has a resume that is second to none. He coached Agnieszka Radwanska to a Wimbledon final and World No.2 and, obviously, was at the helm for Iga Swiatek's rise to World No.1. He split with Swiatek last fall and has been on the sidelines for a year. But it sounds like a call from Naomi is all it took to pack his back and scramble the jets.

Now, it's just a trial period. These two starkly different personalities will need some time to meet and feel each out. Tomasz is known for being a task-master and an intense coach who is committed to the work. He's not out there grabbing headlines and doing interviews or building a brand. He's also not here to mince his words.

His work with Swiatek in particular really cemented him as one of the WTA's best active coaches. It was easy to caveat his success with Radwanska as being at the helm of a talented player with a unique game style who, in many ways, he helped overachieve.

But in Swiatek, Wiktorowski showed he could coach a completely different type of player, both technically, athletically, and personality-wise, to extreme success. And he could do it under the immense cauldron of media pressure thanks to the Polish press. He was also able to earn Swiatek's trust and work with her on a psychological and emotional level as well. If I'm Team Osaka, I like that combination.

And if I'm Wiktorowski, I'm certainly intrigued by the challenge of getting Osaka back where she belongs.

Osaka plays her first match in Montreal today, Monday, against Canadian qualifier Ariana Arseneault.

Hope Tomasz's plane landed on time!