Aryna Sabalenka's Renowned Coach Opens Up About Surviving Homelessness, Stabbing, and Gun Violence at 13

ARYNA SABALENKA’S coach Jason Stacy has revealed that he was homeless at 13 and survived being stabbed and shot at.

High-performance coach Stacy has been a key part of the world No1’s team since she was just 20.

Under his careful tutelage, has harnessed her talent over the past eight years and overcome several obstacles to dominate the sport.

Stacy’s route to the top of was far from conventional.

The American was made homeless aged just 13 in Tacoma, Washington following the death of his former US Air Force pilot father.

Discussing his several years living on the streets, Stacy told The Times : “Three of the concussions I’ve had were because of being hit with a gun.

“I’ve been stabbed. I’ve been shot at. It was a combination of being in the wrong place at the right time, the wrong environment, not out of choice but survival.

“A couple of times it was because I wouldn’t get involved in drugs. That was a boundary I wouldn’t cross.”

Jiu-jitsu black belt Stacy eventually went on to study sports therapy after working several jobs to save cash.

He was recruited by Team Sabalenka after working for the Seattle Sounders in .

On his unusual journey, Stacy added: “I know it sounds cheesy, but that’s what I did. It was like survival in the streets.

“I knew if I was going to get anywhere with my life, I had to do this, and that built my reputation because people got the sense I was with them. I was nowhere else.”

When Stacy began working with Sabalenka in 2018, he inherited a prodigiously talented, if erratic, player.

During their time together Sabalenka’s fitness has improved enormously, while she has added plenty of variety to her power game.

She has had to overcome adversity too, with her father Sergey dying in 2019, and a confidence crisis crippling her serve in 2022.

With Stacy’s help, and that of serve guru Gavin MacMillan, who has since worked with , Sabalenka overcame all obstacles to reach the top of the sport.

The Belarusian won her first Grand Slam at the 2023 and has added a further three Majors since.

Sabalenka has banked more than $50 million (£36.6m) in career prize money and last month reached the 100 weeks landmark as world No1.

She enters the US Open in a slump, however, having not won a title or even reached a final since winning Miami in March.

Should she not triumph at Flushing Meadows, Sabalenka will go a full calendar year without winning a Grand Slam for the first time since 2022.

The 28-year-old is set to be in US Open mixed doubles action on Wednesday.

Sabalenka has teamed up with for the glitzy revamped event.