Naomi Osaka, a four-time major champion, expressed on Wednesday her desire to avoid future regrets after announcing her collaboration with Patrick Mouratoglou, the esteemed former coach of Serena Williams.

Currently ranked 73rd in the world, Osaka secured a victory against Italy's Lucia Bronzetti, winning 6-3, 6-2 in the opening round of the WTA 1000 China Open, with Mouratoglou present in her players' box.

The 26-year-old recently parted ways with Belgian coach Wim Fissette this month as she strives to regain the form that once led her to the pinnacle of women's tennis.

Japan’s Osaka said she “felt like I needed a change” and described Mouratoglou, who is best known as Williams’ long-time former coach, as “a big persona”.

“I like the way he coaches. I think it’s going to be really interesting,” she said in Beijing after setting up a second-round meeting with 21st seed Yulia Putintseva of Kazakhstan.

“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 really need to learn as much as possible in this stage of my career.

“Patrick seemed like the guy with I guess the information that I wanted to learn from.”

Fissette served as Naomi Osaka's coach during two separate periods: first from 2019 until the summer of 2022, and then again when they rejoined forces last year as Osaka began her comeback to tennis following the birth of her daughter, Shai, in July 2023.

Since her return to the WTA Tour in January, Osaka has faced challenges in securing victories.

She was eliminated in the second round of the recent US Open, and her most notable achievements since her return have been two quarter-final finishes.

Osaka, who claimed the China Open title in 2019, expressed some initial hesitation regarding Patrick Mouratoglou, considering his extensive and successful history with the iconic Williams sisters.

“I think the fact that he was Serena’s coach for me made me want to avoid him just because his persona is so big,” she said.

“Then I met him, talked to him, worked with him on the court. He absolutely is a really good coach. I’m really glad that he’s taking this project on as well.”

Osaka indicated that she was still experiencing some apprehension in his presence.

“I kind of look to the floor when he looks at me. I think I do need a lot more time to spend together with him,” she said.

“I’m getting a little more comfortable day by day.”