World No.1 Naomi Osaka has hired Jermaine Jenkins as her new head coach. Osaka alluded to the move on social media on Wednesday and the hiring has now been confirmed by her team.
“Had a great dinner with the team,” Osaka wrote on Twitter. “Also taking this moment to thank Jermaine for joining us and coming on board lol.”
Osaka’s announcement comes two weeks after her decision to part ways with coach Sascha Bajin. She won two Grand Slams under Bajin and neither of them clearly explained the reasons behind the decision.
Jenkins, 34, is a former All American collegiate star at Clemson University, and joins Osaka just in time for first career title defense, in Indian Wells.
Jenkins served as hitting partner to Venus Williams from 2015 until the end of last season. His younger brother Jarmere is currently Serena Williams’ hitting partner.
In January, Jenkins was named by USTA Player Development as a national coach for women’s tennis.
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