BAJIN THE STAR AFTER OSAKA’S EMERGENCE
IN the 2018 final analysis, statistics are bombarding us: Who has served the most aces?
Ivo Karlovic, as it so happens – and philanthropists dishing out dozens of awards, notably the Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award to Kevin Anderson; and the Arthur Ashe Humanitarian Awards to ex-player, Tommy Robredo, for his Wheelchair Tennis Charity.
Yet the most revealing result of this annual spate is who emerged as No 1 coach, the ultimate factor in the success equation:
And the honour extends for the first time – in the wake of the first female Balle d’or recipient – to the best coach on the Women’s Tour, Sascha Bajin, the German who catapulted Naomi Osaka to her maiden Grand Slam.
What makes Bajin stand out as a communicator, over and above motivator, is that it is near nigh impossible to engage with a protégée, who by her own admittance “doesn’t like talking”, or is monosyllabic at best, as Ellen Degeneres discovered, when she invited Osaka onto her show, post the Japanese’ US Open victory.
The Master of Chat, so effortless in coaxing erudite celebrities to spill the beans, was herself rendered speechless, when confronted by the utter lack of response of this reluctant debutante, whose favourite colour is black.
No amount of cajoling – arranging a date with Osaka’s hero, Black Panther star, Michael B Johnson, presenting her with a movie screen size TV to give to her folks “so you don’t have to spend any of your
$3.8 million winnings” – could solicit a coherent sentence, let alone a reaction. Within minutes Osaka and her TV set were ushered out, before Degeneres ratings plummeted. So how did Bajin do what other professionals clearly couldn’t? Simply put, he found a way to get into her head and relate: Osaka you see, is into watching Anime as much as she is into playing tennis. Anime is the Japanese word for vibrant animated characters and is a lethal version, with participants assigned to kill.
Bajin started talking – not small talk, Ellen!, about boyfriends and selfies! – but about specifically, which makes complete sense, if you like wearing black and voila!
Bajin, pressed the right mental button, loosening Osaka’s tongue and imagination. Serena Williams was probably ‘dead on arrival’ in that notorious US Open Final – eliminated anime like – before she even set foot on Arthur Ashe Court.
And as for top Men’s Coach, this year Slovakian Marian Vajda had a tough task at hand, having to purge Novak Djokovic of his zombie-like state of mind, instilled by pretender-to-thethrone, “hugging Guru”, Pepe Imaz, who in the wake of a string of ex-player/ coach top guns, Boris Becker, Andre Agassi, Radek Stepanek, had filled the Serbian No 1’s mind with too many mantras and manias. At least Djokovic could recognise and articulate, in a desperate phone call to his former coach from the Dominican Republic, post the French Open, that something was dramatically wrong with his tennis.
And Vajda had the answer. Cut the umbilical chord to zen man Imaz, get back to basics and reignite your love for the game… Within weeks Djokovic won Wimbledon. You tread a fine line as a coach, between identifying with your charge and identifying their weaknesses, not to mention those of opponents.
Advice must be imparted simply and make a quick impact – a tall order, when your own ego has to be put aside. I’m not sure where this leaves Ivan Ljubicic, Roger Federer’s current coach, because right now, Federer’s very clinical mind could do with an infusion of