Serena Williams’ former hitting partner Sascha Bajin has echoed Kim Clijsters’ concerns regarding the consequences of Simona Halep’s doping ban not extending to her team.
Halep faced a four-year ban from competitive tennis after testing positive for Roxadustat, a supplement that boosts hemoglobin production, during the 2022 US Open. While Halep admitted to taking the supplement based on her team’s recommendation, her team members have yet to face any legal repercussions.
Clijsters recently discussed Halep’s doping case on the Served with Andy Roddick podcast, expressing disbelief that only the athlete bears the consequences for the team’s actions.
“To me the biggest red flag is the team. I have a really hard time that there is no consequence for the team, that it’s just the athlete,” Clijsters remarked.
Backing Clijsters’ stance, Bajin highlighted the unfairness of solely penalizing players in such scenarios.
“I think Kim [Clijsters] is onto something here. I share her thoughts about coaches who give players supplements. Don’t think it’s fair that only the players get the consequences. What you guys think?” Bajin posted on X (formerly Twitter).
Bajin, who served as Serena Williams’ hitting partner for eight years before transitioning to coaching with Naomi Osaka in 2017, guided Osaka to two Grand Slam titles at the 2018 US Open and 2019 Australian Open.
