“Okay guys, I am trying to stay in the shape, you know, like healthy. And meanwhile my team is getting bigger and bigger and it really annoys me,” said Aryna Sabalenka in an Instagram reel posted by WTA’s official account in December 2024. Currently, having the “craziest team on tour” including her coach, Anton Dubrov, her fitness coach, Jason Stacy, her hitting partner, Andrei Vasilevski, her boyfriend, Georgios Frangulis, a data scientist, Shane Liyanage, Sabalenka revealed that one crucial trait she looks in her coach.

Dubrov has been a key figure in her journey since 2020. Before stepping into this role, Dubrov worked as her hitting partner for years. Under his guidance, Sabalenka achieved consistent success, winning four WTA titles in his first year as her coach. By the end of 2021, she had climbed to World No. 2 and credited Dubrov for boosting her confidence. However, Aryna Sabalenka recently shared the essential qualities she looks for in a coach.

“The first thing I look for in a coach is that they understand that when I get crazy on the court, it’s nothing personal,” Sabalenka revealed. “I need to express my emotions, so I need someone calm who can handle those emotions. If I had a coach like me, it would be all fights,” she said, adding a touch of humor.

Dubrov’s loyalty and support became evident when he offered to resign in 2022, when Sabalenka refused to alter her service motion as suggested. Instead of letting him go, Sabalenka reassured him, saying, “We’ll come back stronger.” They brought in a biomechanics expert to fix her serve, and their efforts paid off.

Sabalenka won her first Grand Slam title at the 2023 Australian Open and expressed deep gratitude to her team. “I would call them my family,” she said, referring to Dubrov and Stacy.

Opening on their journey, Dubrov recalled first seeing Sabalenka play as a teenager. “I was like, ‘Oh my god.’ It’s a winner or it’s an unforced error straight away, right? But the passion was unbelievable,” he said.

While Aryna Sabalenka has learned to perform under high stakes, a huge credit for this goes to her coach’s tactics.

Aryna Sabalenka’s coach’s weird tactics that helped her perform under pressure

Anton Dubrov has developed unconventional methods to prepare her for high-pressure situations. These unique tactics include imitating a drunken fan and screaming insults at her during serving practice. According to Dubrov, the goal is to simulate the intensity of real tournaments. This would make her tougher, mentally and emotionally.

One of his latest strategies involves playing for money during training sessions. Dubrov explains, “It’s intense, not like a tournament, where if you win you get money and if you lose it costs you nothing but pride.” In these high-stakes games, if Sabalenka loses, she pays Dubrov, which she hates.

Dubrov sometimes organizes set matches between Sabalenka and her hitting partner, Vasilevski, with a few thousand dollars on the line. Other times, she must achieve specific shot targets, like hitting a certain number of serves or passing balls through cones. If she succeeds, Dubrov pays her $100. If not, she owes him.

Dubrov insists these wagered sessions create the highest levels of intensity he ever sees during practice. “It’s almost like the real thing,” he claims. By summer last year, Dubrov was reportedly down $5,000 over six months. Despite the losses, he believes these techniques have strengthened Sabalenka’s ability to thrive under pressure.