Naomi Osaka’s split with coach Sascha Bajin makes no sense, says John McEnroe after Wimbledon exit
- Former world No 1 loses in straight sets to Yulia Putintseva in first round at All England Club
- ‘I’m still trying to figure out why Osaka got rid of her coach after winning the US Open and Australia,’ says legend McEnroe
John McEnroe has said Naomi Osaka’s decision to get rid of her coach after winning the US Open and Australian Open made “no sense” after the former world No 1 exited Wimbledon in the first round.
The 21-year-old suffered a shock 7-6 (7-4), 6-2 defeat by Kazakhstan’s Yulia Putintseva – ranked No 39 – at the All England Club on Monday.
Japanese star Osaka became the first Asian, male or female, to top the rankings after making it back-to-back grand slam titles in Melbourne, but she split with coach Sascha Bajin soon afterwards and has seen a downturn in results since.
“I’m still trying to figure out why Osaka got rid of her coach after winning the US Open and Australia,” seven-time major champion McEnroe said on BBC One.
“Maybe he [Bajin] hams it up a little bit too much or maybe he likes the camera a little bit too much,” McEnroe said in his role as a pundit on the BBC. “We’re all guilty of that, perhaps.
“Usually athletes and tennis players are extremely superstitious. There’s got to be other reasons [for Osaka’s defeat], I don’t think Naomi’s very comfortable on grass. But just to do that [fire Bajin] at that stage really doesn’t make any sense to me.”