Naomi Osaka says she is at a stage in life the place she “doesn’t need to have regrets”, after hiring Patrick Mouratoglou as her new coach.
Japan’s Osaka beat Italy’s Lucia Bronzetti 6-3 6-2 on the China Open in her first match with Mouratoglou – previously the long-time coach of Serena Williams – in her nook.
The 26-year-old break up with Wim Fisette, who she received two of her 4 Grand Slam titles with, earlier in September.
Osaka stated she was initially hesitant about working with Mouratoglou.
“The truth that he was Serena’s coach made me need to keep away from him simply because his persona is so large,” she stated.
“This is not impolite as a result of I discovered it is not true, however I did not know if he was coach or he coached Serena.
“Then I met him, talked to him, labored with him on the court docket. He completely is a very good coach.”
Osaka made her return from maternity go away in January however has struggled for consistency since.
She has reached the quarter-finals in solely two of the 16 tournaments she has performed this season and has not gone previous the second spherical of a Grand Slam.
“I feel I am at a stage in my life that I do not need to have regrets,” Osaka stated of working with Mouratoglou.
“I would somewhat pull the set off on one thing and I do not need to say ‘fail’, however I really feel like I really want to be taught as a lot as potential on this stage of my profession.
“I attempt to not get into relationships with folks for the quick time period. I attempt to think about it as a long-term dedication.”
Osaka is subsequent in motion towards twenty first seed Yulia Putintseva within the second spherical in Beijing.
