US Open 2021: Sascha Bajin - "It was unpredictable until the last minute"
Sascha Bajin will not be able to look after Karolina Pliskova at the US Open 2021 due to a missing visa. In an exclusive interview with tennisnet.com , the German coach explains how this situation came about and how he will now support the Czech from his apartment in Munich.
by Nikolaus Fink
last edit: Aug 31, 2021, 02:26 pm
Mr. Bajin, you did not get a visa for the US Open . Can you describe how it came about?
It happened that last year there were a lot of people with a visa in the US because of the coronavirus. Due to the pandemic, there was an opportunity to apply for an extension. But I didn't know that I had to stay in the country to make an appointment. I thought I could make this appointment anywhere. In the meantime I have already flown to Spain and worked with Karolina there. It took two months to get an appointment. There were really a lot of people in the same situation. This canceled my visa, so I had to apply for a new one. As soon as you are illegally in the USA for one day too long, your visa will be canceled. Now my visa is approved, I have all the documents and everything is confirmed. Because of Corona, however, it is extremely difficult to get an appointment at the consulate. We have letters from associations - also from the Czech Republic and the WTA - but none of that helps. The first date is September 9th. Unfortunately, I'm here now. All of this is relatively unfortunate.
To understand: So you flew to Spain for training last December and shouldn't have done that?
Exactly. I should have stayed in the country longer, but I didn't know that. I didn't know that the appointment would then be invalid and that I could only do it in America. Then it looked like I was in the country illegally.
And there was no leniency on the part of the authorities regarding the corona situation?
No, nothing worked then for the time being. The problem was also that my lawyer was still in charge of IMG and I got the visa through Karolina's management company. She is with Octagon, however, and since they are competing firms, they disagreed entirely. That slowed the process down a bit. Everyone wanted to serve their interests in the best possible way. That was a little weird between them. Everything was great between Karolina and me. She always tried to help me. We now write to each other daily, leave audio messages for each other, and so on. It was all a bit complicated. It has been delayed for so long. Now we just have to wait for the appointment and it will take a day or two before I can go back to the USA.
When did it become foreseeable that such problems could arise?
I already missed the tournament in Miami because of that, but actually I thought it would work. It all went on until the last minute. That is why the preparation for the US Open was so difficult to plan. I'm so sorry because we also had a small and good run. She's been working so hard since the beginning of the year, and she's been halfway alone in Cincinnati. Her husband wasn't there either. It's a bit of a shame. We could have trained well in the week before the tournament. That was all a bit stupid. It was unpredictable until the last minute.
Your protégé will now be looked after on site by the Czech Leos Friedl. How did this collaboration come about and what do you expect from him?
After all, she needs someone to help her strike and guide her. They all know each other. He's out with Filip Polasek and they always talk to each other. He's helping her out now and it's great that she has someone.
You mentioned briefly that you are in daily contact with Karolina. Can you explain in more detail how you plan to help her now?
That is of course difficult. I don't want to be too big on the fact that I can coach someone from my couch in Munich. That will not do. But through the voice messages and phone calls, you get a little bit of the emotional state of affairs. I also talk to the physiotherapist a lot and the trainer also gives me feedback every evening. The main focus of the tournament is "emotional management", but it's just difficult ... I've only known her since the beginning of the year. There are still many facets of her character that I don't know. We have only been to three Grand Slam tournaments and they are a little different. It's a shame, because it would have been another opportunity to get to know each other better - especially when things are going so well.
Do you think your absence will have a negative impact on Karolina?
No, of course I hope not. I hope she wins this thing. I honestly don't know if she's being influenced, but I don't think so. She's been around for a long time and is no longer 18, 19 or 20 years old. On the other hand, I am also your trainer and see myself as a reference person on the pitch. When I'm outside and she has a match, I like her to seek advice from me. I hope there are no problems.
Karolina opens today against Cathy McNally. What do you expect from her after the strong performance in Wimbledon at the US Open? Do you see them in a position to win the tournament?
In any case. She also proved in Montreal that she plays well. She beat Sabalenka there in difficult conditions and she came back nicely in Cincinnati. She jumped high hurdles there - I don't want to say inner demons - and came back there in two matches. I think that these performances and of course Wimbledon gave her a lot of confidence. She can do it all over again. She was so close. I think the preparation was pretty good even without me. I definitely see her as one of the favorites.
Final question: Could you still make it to New York for the final?
That would be a dream. It is also possible because I have the appointment on September 9th in the morning. Then it will take a maximum of one to two days before I can fly again.
Thank you for the interview.
nycmap