Jason Stacy, the performance coach guiding Aryna Sabalenka, overcame severe hardship before helping the world No. 1 chase a third consecutive US Open title. Stacy was homeless at age 13 in Tacoma, Washington, shortly after his father's death, and survived being shot at and stabbed.
Surviving the streets
In an interview with The Times, Stacy recalled the dangerous situations he faced while living on the streets. "Three of the concussions I've had were because of being hit with a gun," he said. "I've been stabbed. I've been shot at. It was a combination of being in the wrong place at the right time, the wrong environment, not out of choice but survival. A couple of times it was because I wouldn't get involved in drugs. That was a boundary I wouldn't cross."
Stacy sought sanctuary in a library and developed a passion for mixed martial arts, with a dojo offering him a free place to stay for a year. He later trained as a sports therapist, became a strength coach, and studied athletic medicine, working with Olympians and world champions before teaming up with Sabalenka in 2018.
Managing Sabalenka's fire
Sabalenka has secured four Grand Slam triumphs and been ranked world No. 1 for almost two years. Despite being the favourite at Flushing Meadows, she can be prone to disappointing performances and instinctive outbursts. Stacy explained: "First and foremost, the fire that she has, the personality, someone's strength can sometimes be their biggest weakness as well, if it's not managed and you don't learn to understand yourself and how you respond to things."
"A big part of what we've been doing is just her becoming more aware of herself and really developing as a person — not just as a player — so she can be who she is and be expressive," he added.
Unusual training methods
To freshen up training, Stacy often uses bets and games in Sabalenka's preparation, including getting a temporary tattoo on his head after she reached last year's US Open final. However, a play fight during the Australian Open left Stacy requiring stitches beneath his right eye. Underneath his other eye, Sabalenka wrote: "I like pain."
Stacy's book The Pressure Code is set for release next month. He will hope to avoid a similar incident at the US Open, knowing what is required to get Sabalenka in the best headspace to defend her title at Flushing Meadows.
