“Naomi Osaka told him her trust had been broken”: New biography details how Sascha Bajin’s relationship with another player caused split with Japanese
A new Naomi Osaka biography has revealed the details behind Naomi Osaka cutting ties with her former coach Sascha Bajin.
Osaka and Bajin began working together in 2017 and the partnership was very successful. From being ranked World No. 72, she rose to the top of the WTA rankings by winning the Indian Wells and US Open titles in 2018.
The German coach was even named the WTA coach of the year for his role in helping Osaka dominate the women’s circuit.
Osaka continued her form into the following season by winning the Australian Open title. However, just 17 days after her title win in Melbourne, she took to social media to announce her split with Bajin, a former hitting partner of Serena Williams.
“Hey everyone, I will no longer be working together with Sascha. I thank him for his work and wish him all the best in the future,” she said in a post on X (formerly Twitter).
In a new Osaka biography, titled ‘Naomi Osaka: Her Journey to Finding Her Power and Her Voice‘, journalist Ben Rothenberg has said that the two parted ways after Osaka discovered Bajin was dating a competitor.
“Naomi confronted Bajin, breaking the weeks-long silence between the, putting him on the spot about what she’d heard about his off-court relationship with another player,” he wrote. (via Tennis Channel)
“Bajin, who had encouraged Naomi to hit with this player at a tournament despite her much lower ranking, denied it repeatedly. The next day, when Bajin came back and admitted it was true, Naomi told him her trust had been broken,” he added.
