Naomi Osaka was way ahead of speculations and potential plans to restore her once formidable form on the tour. She parted ways with ex-coach Wim Fissette after a premature exit at the US Open. Hoping to furnish herself with available talents up for hire, the Japanese star headlined after picking Patrick Mouratoglou from the lot. As surprises go, the French coach revealed that the four-time Major champion contacted his team before the tennis world caught wind of it.

In a sitdown with ‘Talking Tennis‘, Mouratoglou touched down to various issues currently topping the circuit, with notable insights into what’s next for fans. Subsequently, Mouratoglou unveiled how he teamed up with Osaka. He highlighted that the former World No. 1 approached his team a year ago to work out a partnership between the duo. However, as luck would have it, Serena Williams’ former coach reluctantly passed on the offer because of his standing commitment to Danish sensation Holger Rune. But Osaka already had the Frenchman chalked up in her list of potential coaching candidates before their recent team-up aired.

Mouratoglou said, “I mean she decided to change her coach. She got in touch with me but she did already one year ago because she was looking for a coach. I was with Holger (Rune) at that time but I already had discussions with her so they reached out again and I’m very excited.” For those unaware, the Frenchman twice broke his partnership with Rune since his newly disclosed discussion with Osaka last year.

However, Osaka is very optimistic about her team-up with Mouratoglou. The 27-year-old also addressed stepping into the reins with the Frenchman and outlined her long-term expectations.

Naomi Osaka wants no ‘regrets’ from her partnership with Patrick Mouratoglou

Japanese superstar Naomi Osaka and her performances have suffered plenty. Despite marking a comeback after her pregnancy hiatus, the former World No. 1 failed to showcase her athletic finesse on tour-level events. Naturally, Osaka is aiming for a turnaround and, with it, storming the WTA with her impressive showing. After partnering with Serena Williams‘ ex-coach Patrick Mouratoglou and winning the opener at the China Open under his tutelage, the 27-year-old highlighted that she doesn’t “want to have regrets” working with the French coach.

Osaka said, “The fact that he was Serena’s coach made me want to avoid him just because his persona is so big. Then I met him, talked to him, worked with him on the court. He is a really good coach. I think I’m at a stage in my life that I don’t want to have regrets. I’d rather pull the trigger on something and I don’t want to say ‘fail’, but I feel like I need to learn as much as possible in this stage of my career.”

After her China Open campaign abruptly ended with a back injury during her Round of 16 contest against Coco Gauff, Osaka is likely taking time off to recover and prepare for what’s ahead. However, with no upcoming touring commitments in sight, it will be interesting to see when she actually gets back to the court.