The dissolution of the Naomi Osaka-Sascha Bajin partnership has caught observers of the game completely off-guard: After all, since Bajin joined the Osaka camp in late 2017, the 20-year-old won two Grand Slam titles and reached No. 1 in the WTA rankings.
At this point, only those two and the people closest to them knows what really happened. And while it seems odd that such a successful partnership could end, it’s not the first one to go by the wayside after an amazing run—and surely won’t be the last.
There are too many coach-player split-ups to include in any one list, but here’s a look at five other tandems that surprised the world by calling it quits—even after the player achieved Grand Slam glory.
1
Andre Agassi and Nick Bollettieri
In professional tennis, there has scarcely been anything more awkward than the way the Agassi-Bollettieri partnership ended: Before Agassi was to defend his title at Wimbledon in 1993, his coach wrote him a letter announcing that he was breaking off their relationship. Agassi fell in the quarters that year, 12 months after the duo’s crowning achievement together.
2
Simona Halep and Darren Cahill
Last year at the French Open, Halep and Cahill finally got over the Grand Slam hurdle as a team. After Halep’s best season, Cahill announced that he would be stepping away as her longtime coach to spend more time with his family. The friendship and respect, though, between Halep and Cahill will always be there.
