Aryna Sabalenka is taking proactive steps to avoid burnout and a potential health crisis, even though this decision has earned her some flak. Her performance coach, Jason Stacy, has justified the world No. 1’s scheduling strategy, disclosing that the adjustments are aimed at preventing a repeat of the difficulties she faced at last year’s French Open.
The taxing tennis calendar has increasingly come under scrutiny from top stars, with the likes of Carlos Alcaraz, Iga Świątek, and Elena Rybakina voicing frustration over its intensity. After enduring a grueling 2025 season, Sabalenka called out the “insane” schedule and revealed that she would be more selective about her participation to safeguard her physical well-being.
Why Aryna Sabalenka’s Coach Is Justifying Her 2026 Schedule Strategy
In 2025, Aryna Sabalenka arrived at the French Open with three titles and three additional finals under her belt, signifying the heavy match load she had been carrying. As such, the Belarusian was completely depleted by the time she reached the final of the clay-court Major, and she lost to Coco Gauff.
While speaking to Andy Roddick on the “Served” podcast, Jason Stacy disclosed that the four-time Grand Slam champion’s team had learned an important lesson from her setback at the event.
“A big focus for us right now is just the managing her energy a lot more, especially going into the European season. Because last year was an important lesson that we’re realizing,” Stacy said. “By the time she got to the French Open, she was so exhausted because she had played so many matches. By the time she got to the final, she was so depleted. Just her energy and her ability to control her emotions and stay focused, it just ran right through her.”
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Stacy emphasized that their priority since then has been to strike a healthier balance between Sabalenka’s on-court and off-court obligations to avoid a repeat of her struggles at the French Open.
“So it was really it was a good lesson for all of us to realize like, okay, we should just accept the fact that if we show up somewhere, we’re going to get to the final and start to understand that we need to manage that as far as schedule goes,” he added. “As far as all the things we do outside of the court, how she’s managing all her obligations like with sponsors and whatnot. So that’s been a big focus the last year and a half, but especially this year now coming into the French Open because the last three years of French Open, she showed up sick.”
The world No. 1 has put this approach into practice during the 2026 season, choosing to skip the Middle East swing after losing the Australian Open final. The move led to harsh criticism from the Dubai Tennis Championships director, who argued that Sabalenka and Świątek should lose ranking points for their withdrawals.
When asked how he felt about the criticism that accompanied this strategy, Stacy said it was something he had come to expect and stood by the team’s strategy despite the scrutiny.
“You expect it. You know it’s going to happen. You know, you’re not doing it to harm anyone or to, you know, make people upset. It’s just, that’s the reality. Like you said, if people want Aryna Sabalenka and the excitement and the results and the story and the personality, well, that’s what we have to do. So, it’s just the reality of it,” he said.
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Aryna Sabalenka has also delayed the start of her clay-court season, announcing her decision to pull out of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix due to an unspecified injury. She is expected to be back in action for her title defense at the Madrid Open, which will begin on April 21.
