After wearing controversial "XX-XY" hat, Aryna Sabalenka's fitness coach dons "everyone watches women's sports" t-shirt as she makes 2nd US Open final
Aryna Sabalenka's fitness coach, Jason Stacy, recently landed in hot water for supporting the controversial pro-women brand, “XX-XY Athletics,” at the 2024 US Open. Despite the backlash, he has continued to show his support for women’s sports, albeit in a different fashion this time.
Sabalenka advanced to her second consecutive US Open final, beating home hope Emma Navarro 6-3, 7-6 (2), in the penultimate clash on Thursday, September 5. With the New York crowd heavily favoring Navarro, the World No. 2 banked on the support from her boyfriend, Georgios Frangulis, and her coaching team, which includes her main coach Anton Dubrov, fitness coach Jason Stacy, and hitting partner Andrei Vasilevski.
Stacy, in particular, caught the eye of tennis fans. He was involved in controversy during Aryna Sabalenka's quarterfinal against Zheng Qinwen for sporting a hat from the “pro-women” brand, “XX-XY Athletics,” which seemingly advocates the exclusion of trans women in women’s sports. Fans believed it to be a “transphobic” move.
Following the backlash, though, the fitness coach dropped the hat but continued championing women’s sports by wearing a t-shirt that read “Everyone watches women’s sports,” which was gifted by the US Open.
Several other players, including Serena Williams, Paula Badosa, and Taylor Fritz, too, endorsed the t-shirt during the fortnight.
Aryna Sabalenka teases US Open crowd for not supporting her during US Open 2024 semifinal against Emma Navarro: "I had the goosebumps"
In what were flashbacks of her 2023 US Open final loss to Coco Gauff, Aryna Sabalenka didn’t enjoy the crowd’s support during her semifinal against another American, Emma Navarro, on Thursday, despite her attempts at luring them with “free drinks.”
She was reduced to tears due to the lack of cheers last year, but she managed to overcome the hurdle this time. During her on-court interview, the 26-year-old hilariously addressed the crowd, who eventually applauded her for her win against Navarro.
"Well guys, now you're cheering for me. I mean, it's a bit too late," Aryna Sabalenka joked.
"No, no, that really means a lot, and even if you guys first supported her (Navarro), obviously I had the goosebumps from you cheering up her and there was really an incredible atmosphere," she added.
Notably, Sabalenka is headed for yet another battle against an American, Jessica Pegula. She is, however, unfazed about being cheered against in Saturday’s final.
"No, I don't really care because today was a good test of the crowd cheering for my opponent. Lesson from the last year learned and I really hope I'm going to do a little bit better than I did last year," she said.
Aryna Sabalenka is on a roll during the 2024 North American hardcourt swing. Just a few weeks ago, she won her maiden WTA 1000 title in the States, lifting the champion’s trophy in Cincinnati. At the US Open, she is chasing her third Grand Slam title, having won the Australian Open in 2023 and 2024.