Sascha Bajin became Karolína Plíšková’s coach in November 2020, when she was ranked 6th in the WTA rankings. Shortly after the start of the cooperation, the Czech tennis player dropped out of the Top 10 for one week, but then in 2021 she advanced to the finals at the tournaments in Rome, Wimbledon and Montreal and moved to the third place in the ranking.
“Sascha and I tried a new tennis philosophy in the beginning. We tried to add some new elements to my game and I know it all worked very well. All in all it was a great 20 months with some ups and downs. The most memorable moment of our journey together was then the moment when I played a Grand Slam final again after five years. Sascha taught me a lot and I want to thank him for all those months of hard work, support and dedication,” Karolína looks back on her cooperation with the former coach.
Unfortunately, the preparation for the new season was disrupted by an inconvenience in the form of a fracture of the right forearm, and Karolína was thus forced to miss the opening Grand Slam in Australia. She returned to the courts only in March, and since then the former world number one has won only nine out of twenty matches. She won more than one match in only two tournaments, her biggest success being the semi-final in Strasbourg.
And so, before the US Open Series, which should start in early August in San Jose, comes a new impulse.
“We decided to make a change, another new impulse. We felt that my game was no longer progressing significantly. Unfortunately, everything has its limits and everything comes to an end,” explains Karolína.
“It was a great honor and pleasure to work with Kája. I’m sorry that I couldn’t help her more, but I’m very grateful for the fact that I could prepare her and also get to know her a little more as a person. In her profession and I wish her only the best in life,” said Sascha Bajin, who also worked with Serena Williams and led the Japanese Naomi Osaka to two Grand Slam titles.
Bajin has been in the hot coaching seat for Plíšková for the longest time since Jiří Vaňek, who led Plíšková to the US Open 2016 final, among other things, in two and a half years.
The new fitness coach is Jez Green
Along with Bajin, fitness coach Marino Bašič is also leaving the team of the Czech No. 1 team. He will be replaced by British expert Jez Green, who in the past has trained Andy Murray, Tomáš Berdych, Dominic Thiem or Alexander Zverev.
Under the guidance of Green, Plíšková is already preparing for American concrete in Spain. Before the US Open, he has events planned in San Jose, Toronto, Cincinnati and New York.
She should announce the name of her new tennis coach next week. The winner of 16 WTA singles tournaments is waiting for another title from January 2020.
–
