"You know I love you" - Aryna Sabalenka expresses gratitude towards her performance coach after Australian Open 2023 win 

Aryna Sabalenka has expressed gratitude towards her performance coach Jason Stacy, thanking him for his role in helping her clinch the 2023 Australian Open title.

The World No. 2 registered an emphatic comeback win against Elena Rybakina in the final on Saturday (January 28) to claim her maiden Grand Slam title.

Reflecting on the Belarusian's tremendous feat, Stacy took to social media to show her appreciation. He stated that he is proud of Sabalenka not just for winning the Melbourne Major but also for showing up every day and working hard to achieve her goals.

"I’m not proud of you because you won a Slam, I am proud of you for showing up day after day, for allowing yourself to open up and become more vulnerable, for trusting yourself and the team we’ve built, for becoming more self-compassionate and for facing your fears and working THROUGH them!!!," he captioned his Instagram post.

Reacting to his heartwarming message, Sabalenka conveyed her love and respect for Stacy and thanked him "for everything."

"OMG Jason... I have no words... Just wanna say thank you for everything, you know I love you," she wrote on her Instagram stories.

Aryna Sabalenka's Instagram story.

Sabalenka has repeatedly praised her team for their role in steering her towards her first Grand Slam title. During the post-match press conference after clinching the Australian Open, she credited her "craziest team" for working hard to bring her success.

"My team -- the craziest team on tour, I would say. We’ve been through a lot of ups and downs the last year. We worked so hard. You guys deserve this trophy, it’s more about you than me," the 24-year-old stated.

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Aryna Sabalenka acknowledged that she is "a good player" after Australian Open 2023 win

Aryna Sabalenka at the 2023 Australian Open

Aryna Sabalenka was ecstatic after her title win at the 2023 Australian Open. Speaking at a press conference, she stated that she is starting to understand that she is "actually a good player" and is giving herself more respect than she previously did.

"I think right now I have a little bit, yeah, more respect to myself. I kind of starting to understand that I'm actually a good player. I have to respect, not only respect everybody, respect myself as well, you know?," Sabalenka expressed confidently.

The Melbourne Major is Sabalenka's second WTA title this year, following her Adelaide International 1 earlier in January.