Aryna Sabalenka’s ‘Babysitter’ Performance Coach Comes Clean on His Role in the Australian Open Champion’s Team

It says rubbing a bald head can bring good fortune but what about autographing it? Aryna Sabalenka, throughout the Australian Open, was spotted conducting her unique pre-match ritual of giving an autograph on her fitness coach’s bald head.

Jason Stacey is a key member of Sabalenka’s team, who not only brought luck to her Australian Open campaign but also played a ‘babysitter’ role. Here’s what Stacey had to say about this in the podcast with Sam McClure.

Aryna Sabalenka’s performance coach reflects on his role in the team

Sabalenka had a stellar run this season at the Australian Open. She clinched the title without dropping a set. However, there was another popular figure among the crowd during each of her matches at the Australian Open. He cheered for the Belarusian from the stands and made sure he did everything in his power to make her win. 

His name is none other than, Jason Stacey, and here’s what he said about his special role in the team. “Oh, what I do? Oh, geez, well, they call me the babysitter. Mostly. I’m the performance coach. So I look after her, her mental and physical well-being, you know, making sure she’s fit strong, healthy, mentally and physically ready to perform our best. Making sure she’s managing energy well, and making sure that we between Anton (Dubrov) and I, our jobs are really to make sure we have the right people doing the right things at the right time.” 

He added, “And yeah, that’s just to continue making sure that whenever we get stuck into a rut, you know, like, we’re not missing certain elements and we’re always progressing.” Talking about the pre-rituals, Sabalenka said that she decided to pen her signature on his head before the first match. It has worked out pretty well for her till now, and so, it’s now become a daily routine.

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Jason Stacey reveals Sabalenka’s next plan

The fitness coach reflected on the importance of having a light-hearted atmosphere in the team amid the stressful schedules throughout the year. He feels a mix of fun and creativity can help to find the Belarusian a good balance of emotional control and help her perform well on the court. 

In a recent press conference, Sabalenka’s coach, Anton Dublov joked a tattoo might be coming up next for Stacey on his bald head. Stacey gave a reply and said, “Now they’re trying to say I’ve got to get a tattoo of this on my head. I’m like, I don’t know about that. On match days it’s just an autograph, signature. Then she writes random things on my ear. So today was my name in case I get lost. Remember my name. She said next one she’s going to write: Please follow me on my Instagram page. We’ll both see. Just for fun.”

If little things can bring joy and help win matches, then there’s nothing harm in seeing them through. This is what her team thinks. What do you think about this unique pre-match ritual of the current AO champion?

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