US OPEN

September 11, 2026

Anton Dubrov

Jason Stacy

Max Mirnyi

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Before we start, if one of you could just talk about last night's performance. Jess said it was at another level. From your perspective, what did you see?

ANTON DUBROV: I'll pass it to Jason.

JASON STACY: I mean, obviously Anton can speak to the approach tactically and strategically against Jess, because obviously she's very talented and can be very tricky to play.

But from our side, I think the biggest thing that's tough for me is Aryna's ability to keep her composure, to stay on track. When she needed to, she could bring herself back to center, reset, and then just play the next point with full intensity and full intention.

That was probably the biggest thing that stood out for us, for me.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. Anton, maybe I'll start with you. I was just thinking, you've known her for a while now. Just how do you think she's changed as a person away from the court, and then Jason, maybe I'll put to you, how has she changed dealing with pressure, like you talked about, over the years?

ANTON DUBROV: I would say she's obviously much more mature. As she's mature on the court, she's much more mature outside of the court. So she's aware of lots of things. She's much better with managing lots of things outside of the tennis court right now, and she can I think separate much better than it was in the early of her career when she's thinking about, or the way she is on the court, this means that she is as a person. So right now she understands, okay, there is a life outside of the tennis court. It's her job.

Yes, she has her character that she brings on the court, and she using it as a weapon, but at the same time, it doesn't mean if something not going right on the court that it's the whole, like, life is falling apart. So she's aware of it much more.

It makes lots of things easier with her (smiling). That's what I think is the main, like, thing.

JASON STACY: Sorry, you asked me --

Q. How have you seen her change as far as dealing with pressure on the court, too?

JASON STACY: Oh, sure. I mean, as Anton touched on, it goes hand in hand. We always take a person-first approach. What we do off the court and how we deal with things off the court, how we show up every day, is going to show up on the court.

So there's big moments that we have during matches. It's not really about the big moment. It's more about our day-to-day environment that we've built.

I think the biggest thing really I'd say with her ability to deal with pressure is her understanding that this is just part of the deal. Like, we've chosen to be here, that this is actually a good thing, that pressure can actually be fuel. And the more that she understands who she is and that she aligns all of her actions along with that, that the pressure for her, she, like, feeds off of it.

So for her, it's more welcoming in a lot of ways when she really is really clear about, like, she's done all the right things, she has all the right people around her, so she has this freedom just to be herself.

Like I said, the thing is that we just understand clearly, like, this is just part of the entire process, and this is when we have everything aligned, for us, it feeds, so definitely.

Q. For any of you, but Anton, this is three trips to the final now, going for third championship. How has she been able to be this consistent, especially in this tournament?

ANTON DUBROV: I think she's in love with New York (laughs), I guess. But the first obvious thing I think is just hard courts that fits best for her overall, her game style. So it's her fourth final here, was same in Australia, four finals.

I think she's overall, like, knows and is more aware what she can do on the hard courts, what is her plan, A, B, C, so she's always going to adapt better in those conditions.

But at the same time, if we can compare New York to Melbourne, so Melbourne is more, like, chill, and you have to kind of create the energy most of the times. In New York, it's more about to manage it, how you can actually, like -- it's much more energy here, so you have to be, like, okay, I have to have this quiet space for myself overall. You know what you have to do the evening before.

So she's find this routine that help her to recharge, I think, pretty good and to be ready, because if she in control of this energy, she's pretty good.

JASON STACY: Not bad.

Q. This is for any of you, but now facing and preparing from a coaching standpoint, preparing for Rybakina, who you, as a team, have played, this will be the 18th time, how does that change, like, in terms of preparation in terms of tactically or if it does? Just your thoughts on preparing a tactical game plan and mentality-wise for Aryna coming into tomorrow's final.

JASON STACY: I think you should tell him the secrets about the opposite of what we're doing. (Laughter.)

ANTON DUBROV: Yeah. Just going to do lots of dropshots, balloon all the time. I'll pass this one on to Max to answer.

JASON STACY: Bring in the heat.

MAX MIRNYI: Well, I think it comes down to we're dealing with the two best players in the last couple of years on the women's side. You know, their results and their rankings and their titles speak for themselves.

Just when they see each other across the net, I think that brings the best in each one of them. I suppose for us as coaches, there's probably less to get involved with, because they're both very good. They're going to be able it adjust to no matter what the coaches say, moonballs or dropshots. They'll figure it out and they'll do opposite.

For Aryna, we can see that she has been improving as the tournament goes on. We're excited. She certainly fits well with New York. You know, a few questions before you're asking why New York? I think she fits perfectly for this environment.

She likes this circumstance of being the glamour girl and having the spotlight on her, dealing with the pressures of the night sessions, and she thrives in this pressure. That's why she has been successful.

We're hopeful that there's still one more fight in her left, and we're going to be behind her 100%. If there's any adjustments she needs to make or we can alter during the match, we're going to be there for her and push all the way.

Q. Congratulations on another really good run for Aryna. I think, for the most part, things have gone really well for her on the court the last few years, but when they haven't, as maybe they haven't as much this summer, how do you balance introducing adjustments and changes, maybe balancing not getting too much panic and understanding that maybe the level's just going to come back and we're going through a downtime, if that makes sense?

JASON STACY: I mean, it's not really a glamorous answer. I think as a team versus individually, each of us knows what we stand for, we know what we bring, we know who we are, and we show up the same way every day, whether we're just winning another final or struggling in something that we didn't expect, on or off the court, that we are who we are and we show up the same every day.

So we have this environment where we all feel safe to just work on those edges, to show up. Aryna knows that no matter what happens, we're going to be there, and it's going to be the same people. She knows what to expect. She knows that any of the highs and the lows of this journey, it's all part of the journey.

The one thing, to go back to your question earlier about pressure, she just understands better now that the only way to get through these moments, because they'll always be there, is to go through them. When you have all the right people around you, that you know that you're going to get through that.

Really, it's just -- I kind of forgot the rest of the question (laughing).

Q. Introducing changes without maybe...

JASON STACY: But that's the thing, we don't panic. We all understand that this is just part of the thing. We just give her space to be herself, help her kind of figure out what might work for her right now.

We offer her maybe some approaches or tools or maybe introduce maybe bringing in someone else that can help us with certain things at different times, to find the right person, again, maybe a different voice.

We just introduce these things but with her, right, and give her kind of time and space to kind of get a feel with it, kind of have a play with it to see if it helps right now in this moment. So giving her that freedom, but also knowing that she has the guidance of all of us, I think that just gives her a power that few are lucky enough to have.

Q. The other day Aryna said that she would much rather have the third US Open Championship than the No. 1 ranking. She played with a particular ferocity last night shortly after losing the No. 1 ranking. Where does that play in, and what has she discussed with you about it or you discussed with her about it?

JASON STACY: I'll just say something real quick, because I think you have some good stuff. Aryna is remembering who she is, like being very, very aligned with who she is. She knows what she's capable of. She knows that playing someone like Jess on a big stage in a big moment, that she needs to step it up.

She just has to show up and understand, the way I like to put it, no disrespect to anybody, is that, like, this is her house, and all the other girls are just guests, and it's time for them to go home.

ANTON DUBROV: So mean.

JASON STACY: I don't mean that in a disrespectful way, but her showing up and understanding that, hey, it's her job to dictate the pace, to understand what her strategy is, and to not go to the level of the person across the net, not to meet them where they're at, but I'm here to just do my job, and that's it.

That's how she plays when she plays well. She's in that moment where she's getting that connection with herself and that alignment. When she can get out there and play that way, then everyone's in trouble.

ANTON DUBROV: What do you want me to add?

JASON STACY: I don't know, you had some cool tennis thing, you know.

ANTON DUBROV: No, I don't have. No, the only thing I would add is that not like in news, but everyone speaking about this No. 1 spot for a while, especially for, like, few weeks.

I actually like this actually, like, happened. It's ended, and it's extra fuel, Okay, I have to prove who's who. We're going to see tomorrow is going to be a great battle, I hope. There is no more, like, extra draining, thinking about or, like, hold it or something.

There's a next chapter right now. You have to chase again. It's extra motivation for you. Just go and get it.

Q. When we cover the sport, we like to think that we know the athletes, but oftentimes we don't really. I wondered if you could just give us maybe a peek of what she's like behind the scenes, maybe an example of...

ANTON DUBROV: TikTok.

JASON STACY: Not right now actually.

Q. Behind the scenes maybe, without revealing too much, is there an example of who she is as a person when you guys are hanging out and it's downtime?

ANTON DUBROV: Do you think she's going to read the article about this?

JASON STACY: Do you think she's going to watch this?

ANTON DUBROV: I would say, as you can see, watch her interview on court, like, press conference, I mean, she's pretty honest. Whenever she's answering the questions, she's the same off court, the same person.

She's, like, fun, like a funny. She likes to spend time, like, having some fun, enjoying the life. Also, she has an Ash dog right now, so she's enjoy taking care of him.

I don't know how to describe. She's pretty open person. She likes to, like, enjoy the life overall. Like wherever she has the opportunity to do, she's not, like, hiding or shy to do something. She's maybe be the one who is going to do something. So whatever she's doing on the court, she's kind of the same outside of the court.

JASON STACY: I agree. That's been the whole thing that we've worked on for many years with her is just creating an environment where she can just be herself, because again, like we said before, the things that we do outside of the court on our day-to-day actions and the things that we do, that's what's going to show up in those big, stressful moments.

The more connected you are with who you are on a day-to-day basis, the more, when that pressure shows up, there's less resources worrying about this dissonance and this disconnection from who you are and what you do, and you're there in the moment.

She's sarcastic, funny, always wants to go do stuff. Always messing with us and trying to play jokes on us all the time. No, that's the whole point is that she is who she is, good, bad, or otherwise. Whatever you think, it is what it is.