After a tough loss in the Wimbledon semi-final against Amanda Anisimova, Aryna Sabalenka is back at the 2025 Cincinnati Open with an addition to her coaching team.
Max Mirnyi Joins Aryna Sabalenka’s Cincinnati Open Campaign
Defending champion Sabalenka received a bye to the second round at Cincinnati and started with a win over former Wimbledon champion Markéta Vondroušová. She had some tough competition from Emma Raducanu in between, but the Belarusian has maintained her reputation as one of the fiercest contenders of the tournament.
Sabalenka’s core team includes coach Anton Dubrov, fitness trainer Jason Stacy, and hitting partner Andrei Vasilevski. Together, they have given her the mental and physical edge to stay at the top. Since taking over in 2020, Dubrov has guided her to three Grand Slams and the No. 1 ranking.
However, the big story in Cincinnati is the addition of a new face in Sabalenka’s team- Belarusian tennis legend Max Mirnyi.
Max Mirny is in the stands, cheering for Aryna 🫂 pic.twitter.com/8sjuieLIJ2
— News Aryna Sabalenka (@Sabanewsss) August 11, 2025
Known as “The Beast of Belarus,” Mirnyi was a top singles player in the early 2000s. He reached a career-high singles ranking of World No. 18 in August 2003. He won the Rotterdam Open that year and also reached the quarterfinals of the US Open the previous year.
But he truly shined in doubles. He won 10 Grand Slam titles- six in men’s doubles (two US Open and four French Open titles) and four in mixed doubles (one Wimbledon and three US Open). He was Serena Williams’s partner at the Wimbledon and US Open wins in 1998. Mirnyi also won an Olympic gold at the 2012 London Games, where he partnered with compatriot Victoria Azarenka.
Mirnyi won 52 men’s doubles titles, spent 57 weeks as the World No. 1 in doubles, and teamed up with big names like Roger Federer, Daniel Nestor, and Lleyton Hewitt. With over 20 years on tour, he raked in around $11 million in prize money. After retiring in 2018, he moved into coaching, working with players like former World No. 4 Kei Nishikori.
Mirnyi isn’t replacing Sabalenka’s regular team, he will most probably contribute there as a new voice. Since Sabalenka has also enjoyed big success in doubles, with two Grand Slam titles and a stint as World No. 1, working with Mirnyi feels like a natural fit.
Sabalenka on Mirnyi
In a recent interview with Tennis Channel, Sabalenka praised Mirnyi and talked about his struggles and his influence on her game.
“He’s very smart guy. Super happy to see him enjoying life. He went through difficult situations, he has battled really hard and now he’s enjoying it. I am super happy to see him smiling and helping us.” Sabalenka said.
Talking about his coaching tips and influence, she said, “Definitely some work around the net. He also gave me a few tips on the serve, which are really working well so far. I hope we are only going to get better on that, and a lot of things. He has been a really great player on singles and in doubles as well, he was a very smart player. He is bringing a new voice to the team, so that’s also important. I feel like I really enjoy working with him.”
Having Mirnyi in her corner at the Cincinnati Open could be a fruitful move for Sabalenka. With his help, she might finally turn those semi-final and runner-up finishes into Grand Slam wins in the future.
