For Aryna Sabalenka, the only way she should be is perfect. But lately, the Belarusian’s journey has been anything but that. We all saw it when Sabalenka lost a hard-fought June 7 French Open final and immediately responded with anger, disdain, and tears. She cried on the podium, almost cried during the post-game press conference, and perhaps shed a tear or two when she reached home again. But those weren’t tears from being unable to control emotions—it was Sabalenka reminding herself that her WTA No. 1 Ranking was easier to lose than expected.

And so, Sabalenka hustled. She hustled at every tournament, big and small. Yet, success escaped every time. While the 27-year-old lost the Berlin Open semifinal to Marketa Vondrousova (2-6, 4-6), Wimbledon presented another loss in the same round from Amanda Anisimova (4-6, 6-4, 4-6), prompting an outburst—a net smash this time. Eventually, Sabalenka did what anybody else would do in her position: She took a break. Ahead of the Canadian Open, she cited fatigue as the reason for pulling out. But, deep down, everyone knew it was merely time taken by the superstar to get her head and heart at the right place before the Cincinnati and US Open, amply evident by a latest update.

On August 7, as per Tennis‘ official X page, Sabalenka has made an ambitious new addition to her coaching arsenal. She has reportedly hired the services of the former World Number 1 doubles player, Max Mirnyi.

Mirnyi, a 10-time doubles Grand Slam champion and fellow Belarusian, will team up with the player for a brief stint at the Cincinnati Open and the US Open as a consultant. With this, Mirnyi will join primary coach Anton Dubrov and performance coach Jason Stacy in Sabalenka’s team, apart from the other members of her contingent. The Belarusian star is yet to win a major title this year and is looking to end her drought by winning the title in New York. Nicknamed ‘The Beast’ for his size and play, Mirnyi’s addition makes all the more sense, given how eager Sabalenka is to succeed in the coming days.

Notably, the veteran won the French Open Doubles Title four times (2005, 2006, 2011, 2012), and US Open Doubles Titles twice (2000, 2002), while picking up a mixed doubles Wimbledon victory in 1998 and three US Open victories in 1998, 2007, and 2013. Mirnyi has also won an Olympic gold medal in 2012 London in Mixed doubles. Overall, the 48-year-old has a 780-445 record, 52 titles, and $7,797,129 in Doubles, with a 243-241 record, one title, $3,895,992 in prize money in singles.

He was with Sabalenka during her training sessions after her Wimbledon heartbreak, during which she lost in the semifinal against Amanda Anisimova. Interestingly, Sabalenka requested Mirnyi to take up the role in her team and share the experience that he had gained over the years in his legendary career.

Amid the lengthy break after Wimbledon, Sabalenka has trained day in and day out on the hard courts. Meanwhile, the addition of Mirnyi wasn’t the only move that Sabalenka made ahead of the US Open, as she linked up with a new brand partner.

Aryna Sabalenka announces new sponsorship deal

With the temperatures soaring on and off the court ahead of the US Open in New York, Sabalenka made a smart move and linked up with Electrolit as her new hydration partner. In this collaboration, Sabalenka will feature for the brand in a national campaign to promote the sports drink. Additionally, it would also be an integration during her playing time in New York for brand activation through social media campaigns.

Talking about this partnership, Aryna Sabalenka said, “Every match comes down to the little things. How you recover between points, how you handle the heat, how you show up in the final set—it’s all a game of margins. Electrolit has been a longtime part of my routine because it keeps me ready. In tournaments, yes. But also through all the hours of training and travel that no one sees. At this level, proper hydration is the difference between reacting late or reading the play in time.”

Although she missed the recently concluded National Bank Open, Sabalenka is surely catching the eyes of the tennis world with her big moves before the US Open. It’ll be interesting to see how she performs in the upcoming tournaments, with a lot at stake.