In just 1 year, Naomi Osaka managed to become the world no.1 coming almost from nowhere after winning 3 prestigious titles in Indian Wells, at the Flushing Meadows, and the Australian Open.
It was widely acknowledged that her coach Sascha Baijin was decisive to achieve this sudden feat especially from a psychological point of view. Sascha and Naomi looked to enjoy a great relationship while all of a sudden they split after just 2 weeks that the Japanese won the title in Melbourne.
Why Osaka and Bajin decided to split?
This move took everyone by surprise, but going back to the Australian Open there were some clues that we may have missed possibly because they were “hidden” by Naomi’s fuzzy interviews. Here 2 clues.
1- The Interview
After Naomi won the Australian Open when she was asked about the contribution of Sascha before the final she answered
“I didn’t talk to him (smile). I don’t know. Yeah, no, like, we haven’t really been talking, to be honest, like before any of my matches here. He would tell me, like, one thing; then I would be, like, OK. That was it.”
This answer raised a couple of eyebrows, but given the moment people didn’t give much credit to this.
2- The weird thank-you
After winning the Australian Open, Naomi published on the social media her “thank you” message and referring to Bajin she just said
“Thank you Sash for hitting with me for these past 2 weeks.”
That looked weird for 3 reasons: first, a coach is expected to do more than hitting (of course); second, Sascha was “relegated” as a mere hitting partner during his days with Serena Williams (was Naomi poking him?); third, according to reports, Naomi and Sascha were rarely hitting together during the Australian Open. Apparently, they hit only 10 minutes before the final, and the Japanese was seen practicing without his presence.
Of course, after the split, Naomi and Sascha unfollowed each other.
| NOT IN GREAT TERMS ANYMORE? |
| Embed from Getty Images |
