Naomi Osaka’s coach, German Sascha Bajin, spoke about his protégé after her semi-final appearance at the 2018 US Open. He described how the Japanese woman gave many matches out of her hands in the past due to her mental attitude. He also compares Osaka to Serena Williams.
“There are some matches from the past – that’s no secret – in which she became a little negative just because things didn’t go as she hoped,” Bajin said. “But slowly she finds a way out of these negative emotions.”
Short periods of aggression can be helpful. “Some players need that. If you had said to John McEnroe,’You have to stay positive,’ he would have looked at you crookedly,” Bajin explained. “For Naomi, it’s important to have a positive attitude and focus on those things that work well.”
33-year-old Bajin has been with Osaka since last December, after working with Victoria Azarenka, Caroline Wozniacki and Serena Williams for eight years.
Asked how he would compare his current player with the record Grand Slam winner, Bajin said with a twinkle in his eye: “The only thing in common is probably the hair. But they both play very powerful, good serves, strong baseline strokes.”
And further: “Serena is very aggressive on the court, so I always have to push Naomi a bit to tickle it out of her. She’s a little more reserved and shy. “But we’re working very hard to make her act like Serena on the court one day.”