Aryna Sabalenka’s performance coach Jason Stacy has admitted the team made a costly error with its scheduling decisions this year. The Belarusian world No. 1 reached the Berlin Tennis Open quarterfinals after a disappointing clay-court swing that included an early exit at the French Open. Stacy said the plan had seemed sound based on prior results but failed to deliver.
Stacy spoke in an interview with Tennis 365. He said the scheduling and timing decisions around the season sounded good and the team believed they would work well. Results showed otherwise, he added, and the group will review what worked and what did not for next year.
The 57-year-old coach also took responsibility for choices made during the clay-court period. He noted the team had to make a decision for several reasons and it did not produce the expected outcome.
Sabalenka reached the quarterfinals in Madrid and the second round in Rome before losing in the French Open quarterfinals. She has since won her opening match in Berlin against Ekaterina Alexandrova and will seek further progress before Wimbledon begins on June 29.