Aryna Sabalenka recreates winning gesture of high-fiving fitness coach Jason Stacy's head, pats his temporary tiger tattoo after US Open triumph

Aryna Sabalenka celebrated her victory at the US Open by recreating her signature gesture of high-fiving her fitness coach Jason Stacy on the head where he displayed his temporary tiger tattoo. This unique tradition began earlier this year after the Belarusian won her second Grand Slam title at the 2024 Australian Open.

Sabalenka was seeded second at this year's New York Major and she defeated the likes Priscilla Hon, Lucia Bronzetti, Ekaterina Alexandrova, Elise Mertens, Zheng Qinwen, and Emma Navarro to secure her spot in the final at Flushing Meadows.

In the summit clash, Aryna Sabalenka went up against sixth seed Jessica Pegula and defeated her 7-5, 7-5 in just under two hours to win her first US Open title and her third Grand Slam singles title. With this win, she also became the first player since Angelique Kerber in 2016 to win both hard-court Slams - the Australian Open and the US Open in the same year.

After defeating Pegula, Sabalenka celebrated with her coaches in the stands. She continued her tradition of high-fiving fitness coach Jason Stacy's head, adorned with a temporary tiger tattoo, as a symbol of good luck.

This gesture was first seen after the former world No.1 won the Australian Open earlier this year. The Belarusian herself has a tiger tattoo on her left arm, representing her birth year of 1998, which was also the Year of the Tiger in the Chinese zodiac.

Aryna Sabalenka on her US Open 2024 title win: "It's very special"

Aryna Sabalenka [Source: Getty]

During her post match press conference following her win over Jessica Pegula in the final of 2024 US Open, Aryna Sabalenka expressed that it has always been one of her dreams to win the New York Major trophy. She shared that playing at Flushing Meadows holds a special place in her heart, despite all the losses she has encountered in the past

"It's also very special place here, the US Open. I also had a lot of tough losses in the past. I was always hoping that one day I'll be able to hold this beautiful trophy. It's been always my dream," Sabalenka said .

Sabalenka reflected on the losses she has experienced at the US Open, and stated that each defeat has only fueled her determination to come back stronger . She also acknowledged that learning from her mistakes has been crucial in her journey to ultimately winning the trophy

"That's why it's very special, because no matter what, every time I was coming back stronger, and I was learning, I never gave up on this dream, and yeah, you know, it means a lot," she added.

Last year, Aryna Sabalenka had reached the final of the US Open before losing the title to Coco Gauff. The Belarusian's triumph in Flushing Meadows takes her unbeaten streak to 12 matches.