Karolina Pliskova announced Sascha Bajin as her coach for the 2021 season. She split with her former coach Daniel Vallverdu just a few weeks ago.

Pliskova is still in pursuit of her first grand slam. She has been through many over the years but a grand slam has proved elusive.

Her former coaches include Jiri Vanek, Tomas Krupa, David Kotyza, Rennae Stubbs, Conchita Martinez, and Dani Vallverdu.

Sascha Bajin used to be Serena Williams’ hitting partner. He coached Naomi Osaka to her first two grand slams. While he certainly has the skills to help a player win a grand slam, he also has a habit of not working with players for very long.

His player’s list includes Serena Williams, Victoria Azarenka,  Caroline Wozniacki,  Naomi Osaka,  Kristina Mladenovic, and Dayana Yastremska.

How long do you think this partnership will last?  A player who likes to fire coaches is working with a coach who likes to fire players.

2020 US Open champion Dominic Thiem will return to Laver Cup 2021. Thiem was part of the Team Europe that won the title in 2019. The 2020 Laver Cup that was supposed to be held in Boston was postponed to 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Laver Cup confirmed Thiem’s participation through a social media post.

Since the tournament is owned by Roger Federer’s management company, Team 8 Sports And Entertainment, Federer is certain to play if he is fit. Alexander Zverev, who is represented by Team 8 is also likely to play.

Will Novak Djokovic or Rafael Nadal play?

Laver will move the O2 Arena in London in 2022. Prior editions of the Laver Cup have been held in Geneva, Chicago, and Prague.