It has been well-documented that Serena Williams was without her longtime hitting partner and confident, Sascha Bajin, in Australia. Bajin remained at home recovering from an injury, which forced Williams to take up with a new hitting partner—whom she referred to simply as “Jonathan.”
More: Williams Notches 19th Career Grand Slam Title with Win over Sharapova
The “John” in question is actually Jonathan Dasnieres de Veigy, a former world No. 146 who retired in 2013. He was brought in by Williams’ coach Patrick Mouratoglou, and after a grueling two weeks that saw Williams notch her 19th Grand Slam title, the American legend says she’s going to have a hard time deciding on what to do about the brewing “hitting-partner controversy.”
“I loved hitting with Jonathan,” after her 6-3, 7-6(5) triumph over Maria Sharapova in the Australian Open final. “We had such a wonderful two weeks here. We really enjoyed it.”
Williams says she’ll need to talk to Bajin, who is back home in Florida and who has been texting Williams regularly throughout the tournament.
“I have to talk to Sasch,” she said. “He's injured right now. We have to figure out how he's doing. He's more than keen. He texts me every day. He's super keen to come back. I'm loyal to a fault, which is going to be awkward, because I love working with Jonathan. He's so amazing. He's so funny. He's French. He helps me he with my French now. I hate to be in this situation.”
We’ve got a solution: How about keeping them both? After her latest prize money haul—Williams will receive $3.1 million for her title in Australia, Williams can most certainly afford it.