World No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka has risen steadily to the top of tennis in recent years. The Belarusian tennis star, who has formerly been the World No. 1 in both doubles and singles, established her status as one of the sport’s elites in 2023, winning her maiden Grand Slam title at the Australian Open and finishing runner-up at the US Open.
She has since replicated her feats from last year by winning her second Major at the Rod Laver Arena and making it to the finals at the Arthur Ashe Stadium in 2024 as well.The reigning Australian Open champion’s move toward the upper echelons of the sport came once she settled on compatriot Anton Dubrov as long-term coach in 2020. Until then, she had been shuffling through coaches, trying to find the right mentor.
Sabalenka played under the guidance of Dmitry Tursunov before parting ways with the Russian at the end of the 2019 season. She then briefly worked with Dieter Kindlmann but soon made the switch to former player Anton Dubrov.The pair’s success took off soon after. 2020 was the year the Belarusian came into her own, winning three WTA Tour titles. Following her loss to Ons Jabeur in the French Open in October, Sabalenka went on an unbeaten streak for the rest of the year. With notable victories at the Qatar Open and the Linz Open, Sabalenka finished in the year-end top 10 for the first time in her career.
Dubrov has since coached the 26-year-old to greater heights, including the World No. 1 rankings in both singles and doubles, two Australian Open titles, two US Open finals, and semifinal finishes at all four Grand Slams.Here is a glance into the life and career of Anton Dubrov.Anton Dubrov coaching careerBorn in Minsk, Belarus, Dubrov reached his highest ITF junior ranking of No. 272 in 2013. During his professional career, the Belarusian earned a solitary ranking point with only one win out of his ten main draw singles matches on the ITF Men’s circuit between 2013 and 2015.
In November 2015, he joined the Belarusian national academy as a hitting partner for the Belarussian national team and subsequently traveled with members of the women’s national team during WTA tournaments and for the Billie Jean King Cup. In 2017, he worked as an assistant coach for the Belarussian girls’ junior team.He was Sabalenka’s hitting partner starting in 2019, before taking over as her coach in 2020, and after a couple of years, the coaching relationship yielded great success in 2023.
Anton Dubrov offered to quit as Sabalenka’s coach in 2022
After over two years together, the coach-player duo of Dubrov and Sabalenka had their first major milestone when the Belarusian claimed her first Grand Slam at the 2023 Australian Open, upon which Dubrov broke into tears.She later mentioned to 9WWOS that he almost quit following her victory, but that she managed to get him to stay by telling her coach that they would come back “stronger” than before.
Sabalenka said,
“There was a moment last year when he said ‘I think I’m done, I can’t give you anything else,’ and I was like ‘No, it’s not you, we just have to work through these tough moments & we’ll come back stronger.'”
In her post-match press conference following her triumph in January 2023, the Belarusian clarified that Dubrov had made these comments following the round of 16 loss at the 2022 Dubai Tennis Championships, when her then-coach of two years had felt he couldn’t help her any further.
“I don’t remember exactly, but I think after Dubai, before Doha, after Dubai happened. He just said like, ‘I don’t know what to do. I think you need to find someone else who’s going to help you’,” she said.
She then expressed her elation at lifting the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup and said it was “sweeter” winning it as a team.
“I’m really happy that we keep working together. We went through so many things together. I think it’s even sweeter that we get it together as a team. It was a long journey for us. We are here with the Grand Slam title, which is really amazing,” Sabalenka said.
The player-coach duo were nominated for player and coach of the year at 2023 WTA Awards
Sabalenka won her first Major in 2023 and reached the semifinals of all Grand Slams in that calendar year. This earned both player and coach nominations for Player of the Year and Coach of the Year respectively at the 2023 WTA Awards.
Sabalenka endorsed her mentor on Instagram, saying it was “obvious” who should win.
“Obviously @antoniodubrov,” she wrote on Instagram, jokingly adding an eye-roll emoji.
Sabalenka will now face American Jessica Pegula in the 2024 US Open finals, her second final at Flushing Meadows in as many years. She will look to complete the hard court Grand Slam double in 2024, having already won the Australian Open earlier this year.
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