Aryna Sabalenka's physio shows off Belarusian's bizarre pre-match ritual of signing on his head after her Australian Open title defense

Aryna Sabalenka's pre-match ritual of signing fitness trainer Jason Stacy's head continued to do her wonders, as she successfully defended her Australian Open title on Saturday.

The Belarusian star coasted to victory against 12th seed Zheng Qinwen of China, winning in straight sets to claim the second Grand Slam title of her career.

Having not dropped a set all week, the No. 2 seed looked her dominant best on the day of the finals, brutally overpowering her younger and much more inexperienced opponent Zheng.

Ending a hugely successful title defense on an incredible high, Sabalenka's bizarre pre-match ritual deserves a special mention. It has been a topic of conversation throughout the tournament and has seemed to work every time.

"Somehow I decided to start drawing my signature on his head. I did it before the first match. Now it’s a routine," Sabalenka said when asked about it at the start of the tournament.

Jason Stacy, whose head has become Sabalenka's canvas, was spotted with her autograph sketched on his head during the final. Following her victory, she made sure to rub his head while celebrating with her box, a tradition that has caught pace during this Australian Open.

Her team joined her on-court for a couple of photos after the presentation ceremony, and Stacy was pictured proudly showing off her signature on his head.

Speaking to the press after the tournament, Sabalenka's coach Anton Dubrov joked that a tattoo might be coming up next.

Stacy calmly responded to Dubrov's claims by stating that the pre-match ritual was going to continue but he was against the idea of the tattoo.

“Now they’re trying to say I’ve got to get a tattoo of this on my head. I’m like, I don’t know about that,” Stacy said.

“It’s just going to start spreading. No, no. Just for now. Every tournament we always find some thing we’re doing and we just kind of go with that,” Stacy concluded.

---

Aryna Sabalenka pays touching tribute to team after Australian Open victory

Aryna Sabalenka celebrates her win at the 2024 Australian Open final - Getty Images

In stark contrast to her post-match interview in Brisbane a couple of weeks ago, Aryna Sabalenka this time around heaped praise on her team during the presentation ceremony.

Sabalenka was quoted as saying:

"Team, wow. You see guys, I put a little bit of pressure on them in the Brisbane final and we did a little bit better in this one."

"Thank you so much for being by my side no matter what," she added.

Sabalenka concluded by jokingly suggesting that it was a two-way partnership and that everybody should be thankful for each other.

"Without you I wouldn’t be able to achieve so much in my sport," she said.

"Without me you wouldn’t be that good as well so let’s accept that fact," she added.