Coach Sascha Bajin admits Serena Williams is one of the biggest reasons why he is today recognized as one of the most respected coaches on the WTA Tour. In 2018, Bajin was named the WTA Coach of the Year. But before Bajin went on to become one of the most respected coaches on the WTA Tour, he was Williams' hitting partner for eight years.
The two split in 2015 and since then Bajin has made a nice coaching career for himself. "What has Serena Williams meant to you?" the WTA asked tennis fans. Bajin tweeted in response: "The reason I am the coach who I am today.
Forever grateful."
The reason I am the coach who I am today. Forever grateful 🙏🏽 — sascha Bajin (@BigSascha) August 28, 2022
The reason I am the coach who I am today. Forever grateful 🙏🏽 — sascha Bajin (@BigSascha) August 28, 2022
During his time with Williams, Bajin realized that the hard work was to pretty much everything.
“The biggest lesson I've learned from Serena Williams was, without a doubt, how to keep up the intensity and how to practice," Bajin said on The Functional Tennis Podcast earlier this year. "She is a workhorse.
Nothing in her life came easy and she really had to work super hard for everything in her life." While Bajin was a part of Williams' team, the American won 10 Grand Slam titles. Working with Williams, Bajin was striving for greatness every day.
“I would have to walk on eggshells, making sure everything was perfect before Grand Slam finals," Bajin said. "There was never an allowance for excuse, so we had to eliminate excuses." After Wimbledon, Bajin and Karolina Pliskova split after two years together.
Now, Bajin is working with Ukraine's Dayana Yastremska during the US Open. "We decided to play the US Open together, and after this tournament, we will discuss everything precisely," Yastremska told Ukrainian Tennis.
Yastremska, 22, is currently the 86th-ranked player in the world. With Bajin, Yastremska will certainly be hoping to elevate her game to completely new level.
