Early on, scouts of various companies looked at Naomi Osaka. The race was won by the brand with the three stripes.
Daniel Balog had called in December 2013 and they were all at the start, the scouts from Nike, Yonex, Head. And also Adidas in persona Mats Merkel. The subject? A young Japanese tennis player who wanted to introduce Balog, then manager at Octagon, to the interested outfitters: Naomi Osaka.
“Naomi didn’t play any youth competitions back then because she didn’t have a ranking,” recalls Merkel. “So we drove 45 minutes from Plantation inland, where Naomi’s father prepared a showcase day.” The individual companies arrived at different times, the auditions did not overlap.
The situation had not been easy, especially for Naomi’s older sister, Mari. “She knew, of course, that the whole event was all about Naomi,” said Merkel. On courts that did not meet the highest standards. These fell off the main square at an angle, and the atmosphere was also marked by the uncertainty of the parents as to who would particularly like their daughter.
At that time, the fire power of Naomi Osaka was already recognizable. A diamond in its rough version. However, none of the companies had signed the then 16-year-old.
Less than a year later things were different. Osaka was in the world ranking around 300, during the US Open Merkel arrived with his then colleague Klaus Marten at John McEnroe’s academy, trained with Osaka for another two hours. And so impressive that she signed Adidas in autumn 2014.
From a sporting point of view, the most important step in recent years has been Sascha Bajin’s commitment. Merkel started training as a tennis coach with Bajin, and the two coaches have known each other well ever since. “Sascha has professionalized everything, helped to raise all components by a few percent, be it in the fitness area, in training,” says Merkel.
Bajin also knows how important the change between tension and relaxation is, one sees that he is having fun on the court. And mediate. Although Serena Williams brings her experience as final opponent of the US Open, Sascha Bajin naturally has very special insights due to years of joint work with the 23-time major winner. Everything is possible for Naomi Osaka. If not in New York City on Saturday afternoon, then a little later.