Tennis
No. 1 Naomi Osaka hires Jermaine Jenkins as new coach
Tennis

No. 1 Naomi Osaka hires Jermaine Jenkins as new coach

Published Feb. 28, 2019 9:48 p.m. ET

No. 1-ranked Naomi Osaka has a new coach: Jermaine Jenkins.

Osaka's agent confirmed in an email to The Associated Press on Thursday that Jenkins has started working with the two-time major champion.

Osaka had tweeted about "taking this moment to thank Jermaine for joining us and coming on board lol."

The move comes 2½ weeks after Osaka surprisingly split from coach Sascha Bajin, who previously worked with Serena Williams.

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Bajin began coaching Osaka before the 2018 season, helping her win the U.S. Open last September and the Australian Open last month, when she also rose to No. 1 for the first time.

Jenkins was an All-American player in college and then a hitting coach for Venus Williams. The U.S. Tennis Association announced last month that Jenkins was being hired as a national coach for women's tennis.

Jenkins' younger brother, Jarmere, is a hitting partner for Serena Williams.

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