via Getty
NEW YORK, NY – SEPTEMBER 08: Serena Williams (R) of the United States comforts Naomi Osaka (L) of Japan after Osaka won the Women’s Singles finals match on Day Thirteen of the 2018 US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 8, 2018 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Chris Trotman/Getty Images for USTA)
via Getty
NEW YORK, NY – SEPTEMBER 08: Serena Williams (R) of the United States comforts Naomi Osaka (L) of Japan after Osaka won the Women’s Singles finals match on Day Thirteen of the 2018 US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 8, 2018 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Chris Trotman/Getty Images for USTA)
There were quite a few moments when Serena Williams was close to winning her 24th Grand Slam title. However, the most emotional and contentious one was the 2018 US Open final against Naomi Osaka. People saw how difficult it was for Serena and Osaka, but there was one person on the courtside who was having an even more tough time. The former hitting partner of Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka’s then coach, Sascha Bajin.
And it was not easy for the renowned coach to see the two closest people to him experience a tough final.
How did Sascha Bajin, former hitting partner of Serena Williams, feel during the US Open 2018?
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Sascha Bajin worked with Naomi Osaka for a short amount of time. However, during that time, she won two of her Grand Slam titles, including her first US Open in 2018. However, this Grand Slam led to one of the most controversial Serena Williams outbursts.
In an exclusive interview with EssentiallySports, Bajin detailed his emotional journey during the 2018 US Open finals. He stated, “I stopped working with Serena in 2015. I had such a close relationship. When you are with someone for over 8 years, it’s very tough. I lived in her house for 3 and a half years. I saw her as my younger sister. It was a very very emotional final for me.”
via Getty
NEW YORK, NY – SEPTEMBER 08: Serena Williams of the United States argues with umpire Carlos Ramos during her Women’s Singles finals match against Naomi Osaka of Japan on Day Thirteen of the 2018 US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 8, 2018 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Michael Owens/Getty Images)
Speaking about how he wanted to keep it professional irrespective of the shared history, he said, “I am in Naomi’s corner. My job is to help her. She hired me for a reason, no matter who’s on the other side. If it was my mom, my sister, it wouldn’t matter.” Despite getting death threats from Williams’ fans, Bajin kept his promise and delivered the results Osaka wanted.
He stated, “I even got death threats from Serena fans. At the end of the day, we won, and that’s what I was hired to do. We got the job done. I was happy.”
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Williams and Bajin had worked for approximately eight years together. And at that time, they made a lot of good memories, which made Bajin emotional during the finals.
The wholesome relationship between Bajin and Williams
Williams and Bajin did not just have a professional relationship. Williams herself was very protective of him. She did not want to share him with anyone else. So much so that she once hilariously warned him to not cheat on her by playing with Venus Williams. It was during the time they were celebrating the five-year partnership with each other.
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Such were the dynamics between the two. Hence, it must have been difficult for Bajin to be sitting on the opposite side of the court on Naomi Osaka’s side.
