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 her team has since confirmed the hiring.
Osaka's agent confirmed in an email to The Associated Press on Thursday that Jenkins has started working with the two-time major champion.
"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."
Jenkins, 34, is a former All American collegiate star at Clemson University and served as a 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.
The move comes 2+ 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 wins 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.
Osaka, 21, said in Dubai last week that her split with Bajin was "kind of brewing" in Melbourne and that she didn't expect to be without a coach for long.
"It's not really ideal to go to Indian Wells without a coach," she said.
Women's main draw play in the combined WTA and ATP Masters event in the California desert begins on 6 March. Osaka like all the 32 seeded women will enjoy a first-round bye.
