Naomi Osaka looks to dad in bid to rediscover top form

Naomi Osaka said she is excited to have her father back as coach after splitting with Wim Fissette as the four-times grand slam champion returns from an Achilles injury that ruled her out of the grasscourt season. The Silicon Valley Classic is her first event after ending a three-year partnership with Belgian Fissette, who guided her to wins in the 2020 US Open and the Australian Open the following season. Osaka, 24, said they parted on good terms and all she needed was some fresh energy.

"It was really good times with Wim and he's a really amazing coach," she told reporters. "He's a very ambitious guy. I was getting injured and I'm sure he would have wanted to go to Wimbledon.

"So it was two different mindsets, I would say. But he's a really cool guy still." Osaka's father, Leonard Francois, previously served as her primary coach until the 2018 season. "I wanted to bring my dad back because he always makes me think outside the box," added the former world number one.