It’s a bit strange: The reporter is in New York, less than five meters from Karolina Pliskova in Arthur Ashe Stadium. The favorite from the Czech Republic has just won her first round match at the US Open, now she is resting in the catacombs. Your trainer Sascha Bajin gets in touch, but by phone from Munich, he is not allowed to enter the USA because of visa problems. The 36-year-old wants to lead Pliskova, Angelique Kerber’s final opponent in New York in 2016 and this year’s Wimbledon finalist, to the first Grand Slam title. The conversation is about the loneliness of tennis players, mental health and worst-case scenarios.
SZ: Mr. Bajin, where did you get the lot from Karolina Pliskova added?
Sascha Bajin: Unfortunately, I was unable to receive the channel on which the game was shown; so I went to a colleague in Munich. In all honesty, I felt pretty helpless and useless.
Did you itch to send an SMS to the team during the game?
At Grand Slam tournaments, coaching is known to be prohibited. At other events where it would have been allowed, we briefly considered whether I should give the husband (Michal Hrdlicka, Anm. d. Red.) maybe notify me, should I notice something. But we left that. I didn’t want to get involved, they should concentrate on the match and not on me. That’s the way it is now, although I have to admit that despite the clear victory, I bit my tongue a few times.
Why, exactly, are you not in New York?
Because of the pandemic, I stayed in the US longer than I should have according to Visa. There was the possibility to extend it on site, but I didn’t get an appointment and in the meantime had to go to Spain to work with Karolina – but couldn’t extend the visa in Spain. The problem, by the way, that many other people also had: If you stay in the US for a day longer than allowed, the visa becomes invalid – you cannot then extend it. Everything is cleared up, but it took two months before I got an appointment at the consulate: September 9th, not on time.
Wasn’t there a way to speed it up?
A Grand Slam tournament is not considered an emergency – by the way, neither is the water damage to my house in Florida. It’s all a little unfortunate right now. It’s bad for me that I can’t be there for Karolina.
It’s not just about the games themselves.
Sure, when a player looks at the box, you can calm her down with a confident expression on your face or a clenched fist. But you’re not just the coach during one game. Anyone who knows me knows: I’m always there for my player, 52 weeks a year, every day, with passion. It’s about the preparation for a tournament like this, about the tactics for a game, and sometimes it’s just about being there for someone emotionally.
How do you solve the problem?
There are routine conversations before and after the game – we can do that via video. Apart from that, we speak at least once a day and leave messages to each other. I also get a lot of feedback from trainer Leos Friedl, who now looks after her, as well as from the physiotherapist and husband. That helps a little.
However, it does not replace personal contact.
Absolutely not, and I don’t want to pretend that you can look after someone from the couch in Munich. We have only been working together since the beginning of the year, we are still getting to know each other – and for some topics you have to find the perfect time; So, for example, if you want to say something that the player might not like to hear that much. In other moments I have to wait for Karolina to come up to me. Tennis is an emotional sport; the players are characters and often spend several hours alone on the court. It requires sensitivity: when does a player need feedback, when do I prefer to hold back?
Exchange while changing sides: This is how players and coaches would like to have tennis coaching. Karolina Pliskova and Sascha Bajin (here in spring together after training in Abu Dhabi) can’t even be in one place at the moment.
(Foto: Rob Prange /ZUMA Wire/imago)
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There’s a lot going on about mental health in professional sport these days – also because of Naomi Osaka, who led you to two Grand Slam titles. She had canceled the French Open and now again openly talked about the subject.
An incredibly important topic that drives me. You can see, especially with many young players, that they are not able to reach their full potential – that very often has to do with the head. As already said: When playing tennis, you are alone on the court, because of the Code of Conduct you have to have your emotions under control. I recently wrote a book that just came out in Japan. I hope that it will also appear in Germany soon. My dream title: “50 Ways to Mental Strength”.
Karolina Pliskova is no longer a young player. She has won 16 titles, has been at least in the semifinals of every Grand Slam tournament and is already number one in the world rankings. What is missing: the really big title.
I took over an almost complete player. Sure, there is always something to improve, in the technical area, for example. But the starting potential is enormous.
You have won titles with Osaka and Williams – what has Pliskova been missing so far?
I think that she wanted this title too much and put too much pressure on herself. Sometimes it is worse when you want something too much than when you want it too little or not at all.
How do you change that?
With Karolina, it’s no longer about fundamentally improving her. The approach is different, there is a specific goal: to win a Grand Slam tournament; so we are working to ensure that it can deliver the best possible service at the right time.
How do you do that
I work a lot with worst-case scenarios. So: what to do at 0:30? Or at 0: 5 in the first set? What to do if it doesn’t seem to work at all? That is often not true!
I’m sorry, what?
Many people tell themselves that, but it is often not true. Just because the serve doesn’t come doesn’t mean that the backhand is terribly bad too. The great champions like Williams or Osaka often seem so easy and relaxed, but they often have problems similar to the others. What makes them different: You will find a solution for it. The problem is often not the supposed problem, but rather: How do I react to it?
So, for example: change tactics so that this one aspect that doesn’t work is less noticeable?
That can be a solution; The thought is more important, and that brings us back to our head: Everything is not bad just because something doesn’t work the way we would like it to. If you internalize this, you can solve the bigger problems during a game.
Pliskova last reached the finals in Montréal and the semi-finals in Cincinnati. Can you win the US Open now?
Absolutely! She’s playing a great summer, she worked incredibly hard, and she looked really good in the first game in New York.
Your appointment at the consulate is on September 9th – just a few days before the final.
I could do that. But: I wouldn’t be in the stadium then!
Why not?
I would of course prepare them as best I can – but I’m far too superstitious to sit down in the box next to the field. I would watch the finale in a bar in New York.
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