Osaka hired ex-Serena coach as she wants 'no regrets'

Naomi Osaka says she is astatine a shape successful life wherever she "does not want to person regrets", aft hiring Patrick Mouratoglou arsenic her caller coach.

Japan's Osaka hit Italy's Lucia Bronzetti 6-3 6-2 astatine nan China Open successful her first lucifer pinch Mouratoglou - formally nan long-time coach of Serena Williams - successful her corner.

The 26-year-old split pinch Wim Fisette, who she won 2 of her 4 Grand Slam titles with, earlier successful September.

Osaka said she was initially hesitant astir moving pinch Mouratoglou.

"The truth that he was Serena's coach made maine want to debar him conscionable because his persona is truthful big," she said.

"This isn't rude because I recovered retired it's not true, but I didn't cognize if he was a bully coach aliases he coached Serena.

"Then I met him, talked to him, worked pinch him connected nan court. He perfectly is simply a really bully coach."

Osaka made her return from maternity time off successful January but has struggled for consistency since.

She has reached nan quarter-finals successful only 2 of nan 16 tournaments she has played this play and has not gone past nan 2nd information of a Grand Slam.

"I deliberation I'm astatine a shape successful my life that I don't want to person regrets," Osaka said of moving pinch Mouratoglou.

"I'd alternatively propulsion nan trigger connected thing and I don't want to opportunity 'fail', but I consciousness for illustration I really request to study arsenic overmuch arsenic imaginable successful this shape of my career.

"I effort not to get into relationships pinch group for nan short term. I effort to deliberation of it arsenic a semipermanent commitment."

Osaka is adjacent successful action against 21st seed Yulia Putintseva successful nan 2nd information successful Beijing.