Anton Dubrov, Jason Stacy and Max Mirnyi spoke to the press together, before the US Open final. Aryna Sabalenka’s three coaches stressed how good the Belarusian feels at Flushing Meadows. “She’s in love with New York”, one of them said, without L’Équipe specifying which one.
Jean-Pol took in the press conference with the calm of a man who had announced it.
Right, it’s very simple. This New York business, I’ve been repeating it for years, nobody listens to me. A player going for a hat-trick somewhere likes the place, in 80% of cases, and I’m being generous. Careful, I’m not saying the opposite of what I said in January. I’m clarifying.
Our pundit dwelt mostly on the set-up. Three coaches, one table, microphones. He sees in it confirmation of a theory he has held for a long time, and which he has held both ways depending on the season.
He recalled that at Kitzbühel, in 1992, he faced a future top 10 player with, for his entire support team, a gentleman who carried his bag and told him to eat properly. The gentleman never spoke to the press. Neither did Jean-Pol, as it happens, which he puts down to an accreditation problem whose details vary.
On the substance, he agrees with the three coaches. With one reservation, as always: he would have insisted on the one-handed backhand, which was not on the press conference agenda and which, in his view, should have been.
Sabalenka goes for a US Open hat-trick on Saturday.
It’s true, we checked: L'Équipe.
