Performance coach Jason Stacy reveals Aryna Sabalenka's biggest fear is "losing it all," and admits it was extremely hard to get the Belarusian open up when they first started working in 2018 because she was "very closed off."
For seven years now, Stacy has been a part of Sabalenka's team and has seen the Belarusian establish herself as a WTA player – then a star – and then become a Grand Slam champion and the top-ranked player in the women's game.
During her interviews and interactions with the public, Sabalenka usually jokes a lot – even pokes fun at herself – and is widely considered one of the most charismatic players on the Tour. However, according to one of her team members, the 27-year-old Belarusian definitely has her own fears.
Stacy: Even today, Sabalenka's biggest fear is losing it all
“I realized from the start that she’s very, very… not trusting, very closed off,” Stacy said on The Line with Dr Kristen Holmes.
“Part of it’s her personality, part of it’s the culture she was raised in, where you don’t trust anybody, you don’t speak about your goals, you don’t talk about things because if you talk about something, it’s gonna get taken away from you. If you build something, you’re gonna lose it. So this is the mentality you’re grown with, you’re raised with, some if it’s culture, some of it’s how she was raised, some of it’s her own personality. But she has this, even to this day, that’s one of her biggest fears of just losing everything."
During the same conversation, Stacy recalled one specific moment that happened after the COVID pandemic as Sabalenka came to the US Open feeling "terrified" and wondering if she "would know how to play tennis again."
Over time, Stacy managed to convince Sabalenka to open up more about certain situations, and that has helped a lot.
Needless to say, Sabalenka is one of the most accomplished players over the last few years as she has won four Grand Slams since 2023 and she spent the entire 2025 ranked at No. 1 in the world.
