Naomi Osaka Loses Her First Match Since Splitting With Coach Sascha Bajin

The 21-year-old Japanese-Haitian tennis player lost to Kristina Mladenovic by 6-3, 6-3 at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, according to AsAm News. This was her first game since winning the Australian Open last month.

 

While speaking to reporters, Osaka implied negative pressure contributed to her losing the match.

“Yeah, I mean, I’m pretty sure, like, you guys — no offense to you guys — but I’m pretty sure as time goes on, you guys will stop talking about it. For now, it’s like the biggest tennis news, I guess. It’s a little bit hard because I feel like people are staring at me, and not like in a good way,” she said. “My reason is I wouldn’t put success over my happiness — that’s my main thing. I’m not going to sacrifice that just to keep a person around.”

Osaka made the shocking announcement a few days before Valentine’s Day, thanking Bajin for his work and wishing him luck in his future endeavors.

 

Bajin, a former hitting partner of many renowned tennis players including Victoria Azarenka, Caroline Wozniacki and Serena Williams, was named the Women’s Tennis Associate (WTA) Coach of the Year for his success with Osaka in 2018.

“The biggest thing is I don’t want myself to think to be successful, I have to put success over happiness. Because if I’m not happy being around certain people, I’m not going to torture myself. … So I’d rather just surround myself with people that I really like and that truly care about me and are just really positive. I think I’ve been able to do that,” Osaka continued.

Endorsement offers reportedly flooded in, but Osaka hopes to name her next coach before she competes at Indian Wells, which starts on March 4.

Featured Images via Instagram / naomiosakatennis