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The Aus Open moment that exposed Naomi Osaka's 'rift' with coach

Yahoo Sport Australia

Many believe this was the moment Naomi Osaka revealed all was not well with her coach.

Osaka shocked the tennis world on Tuesday when she announced she’d split with coach Sascha Bajin, a little more than two weeks after she won the Australian Open and assumed the world No.1 ranking.

The 21-year-old Osaka, who won at Melbourne Park last month to add to her US Open crown from last year, announced that her successful partnership with Bajin had come to an end.

But no reasons were given.

“Hey everyone, I will no longer be working together with Sascha. I thank him for his work and wish him all the best in the future,” Osaka tweeted.

Naomi Osaka and Sascha Bajin in 2018. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
Naomi Osaka and Sascha Bajin in 2018. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)

Osaka enjoyed a remarkable rise up the world rankings after she linked up with Bajin in the 2017 off-season.

The Japanese player climbed from world No.72 to reach the top five during the course of 2018, when she won her first grand slam title, and then hit top spot after her success in Melbourne.

Bajin, who has previously worked as hitting partner for Serena Williams, Caroline Wozniacki, Sloane Stephens and Victoria Azarenka, was named WTA coach of the year in 2018.

“Thank you Naomi I wish you nothing but the best as well. What a ride that was. Thank you for letting me be part of this,” he responded to Osaka’s tweet.

Bajin and Osaka at the Australian Open. Image: Getty
Bajin and Osaka at the Australian Open. Image: Getty

The clues that showed all was not well

A number of fans have since pointed out that Osaka didn’t name Bajin when thanking her team in her victory speech at the Australian Open.

She also referred to him simply as her ‘hitting partner’ in a social media post.

View this post on Instagram

Hey so I know I’ve been posting a lot 😖 sorry but real quick I want to thank everyone around me, because during the ceremony I was too nervous and I didn’t wanna talk for too long lol. Trust me this is super long hahaha feel free to disregard 😫. Firstly thank you Kristy this is our first grand slam together, 2nd overall. I haven’t known you for a long time but I already wonder what I would do without you, I don’t think I could’ve held my sanity together without you lol thank you ❤️. Thank you Abdul for always pushing me to be a better version of myself and also I don’t think I could’ve played all those three sets without you hahahahaha. Thank you Stu for being the best agent ever and also lowkey therapist sometimes 😂. Thank you Sash for hitting with me for these past 2 weeks. Thank you Carly for texting me jokes that were super lame 😫. Thank you Yoshikawa-san and Toshi for all the support. Thank you MJ for always helping me with everything. Thank you Shimokura-san and Sakai for always smiling, literally 😁😂. Lastly, thank you dad for teaching me the values in life. I’ve been surrounded by such awesome people this trip and I’m really grateful for it. Love you guys 😭❤️ (okay I’ll stop posting for a while now haha)

A post shared by Naomi Osaka 大坂なおみ (@naomiosakatennis) on Jan 27, 2019 at 1:31pm PST

And prior to the final she said they didn’t really talk to each other much.

When asked by a journalist what advice Bajin had given her, she said: “None. We don’t really talk. Maybe like one thing.”

A report from Japanese outlet Nikkan Sports claims there was a ‘rift’ between the two during the Australian Open, pointing out that Osaka practiced without him a number of times, while other sessions only lasted about 10 minutes.

She’s since unfollowed him on social media.

David Law of The Tennis Podcast suggested there might be more to the split than meets the eye.

“They were together a year and she won two grand slams in a row, Indian Wells and became No. 1 in the world. That doesn’t add up to a tennis decision,” he tweeted.