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.

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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