Aryna Sabalenka’s Coach Jason Stacy Breaks Silence on ‘Quit Tennis’ Outburst at Roland Garros

When Aryna Sabalenka walked off court at Roland Garros following a shock quarter-final defeat to Diana Shnaider, the world number one told reporters in Paris: “No thoughts, no emotions. Just want to quit tennis right now.” The moment dominated headlines far beyond the result itself.

Now, Sabalenka’s performance coach Jason Stacy has spoken exclusively to Tennis365 about what was going through his mind during that press conference — and his response may surprise many. “Honestly, I don’t think I had any emotion behind it at all,” Stacy said. “Overall, I realised what’s happening. She just lost the way, she lost all those kind of things. We’re just gonna let her go through that process, experience what she needs to give her some space, and when it’s time, we’ll catch up, and we’ll [see] what’s really going on, what’s left over, but I didn’t really have too much emotion.”

Stacy confirmed he had not spoken to Sabalenka between her loss and her post-match media appearance, yet he maintained a measured perspective on her remarks. He acknowledged the instinct to intervene, but explained why he held back. “Obviously part of me wanted to run and help her. Obviously we want to come and help and rescue people, but also the other part is: You [have] just got to let them go through it and figure it out,” he said. “I felt bad, obviously, for the whole team, they didn’t like experiencing that, but I didn’t really feed it much. She’s left her heart on her sleeve, and said, ‘Here I am.'”

Stacy did suggest the timing of the press conference contributed to the intensity of Sabalenka’s reaction. “Maybe she should have spent a little bit of time before going to the press conference, so she could be a little bit like settled, but that was really fresh, like right off the court,” he noted. “So you can imagine any of us, right, we have a really bad moment, and someone’s asking, ‘Hey, in the whole with the big cameras right in your face, like 10 minute film, right now it’s like right when you walk off. Right in the middle of a bad moment. So there’s what it is.”

Sabalenka has since confirmed she sought support from a therapist in the wake of the defeat, and Stacy credits the principles at the core of his coaching philosophy with helping her move forward. Those principles are detailed in his upcoming book, ‘The Pressure Code: How Elite Performers Align Their Energy, Emotions, and Environment’, due for release on September 8th. “That’s always been the thing, I think that’s the same thing with that book we write about,” Stacy said. “The whole idea is you need to be you, any tool that you apply, anything that you try to find a way to get through, to achieve, or to survive, whatever the situation is for you, it’s like it has to come from you.”

For Stacy, Sabalenka’s willingness to be publicly vulnerable is not a weakness to be managed — it is a quality to be protected. “Everything from these moments that she had, like really lows, but also our big highs, and everything between, you see her as just being her,” he said. “That leaving her heart on her sleeve and just being open and honest that way, that is why we are where we are, we helped her develop this, and take embrace, and to be open to learn, learn more about herself.”

Sabalenka’s defeat at Roland Garros extended her wait for a first French Open title, having reached the semi-finals in 2023. The Belarusian has claimed back-to-back Australian Open titles in 2023 and 2024, and reached the US Open final in 2023. Wimbledon, however, remains the one Grand Slam she has yet to win, and she is set to compete at the Berlin Open as direct preparation for the grass-court major. A strong run at the All England Club this summer would represent the next significant chapter in a career that continues to generate attention both on and off the court.