Who is Aryna Sabalenka? Bio, Fun Facts, Info, and Much More
WTASunday, 08 June 2025 at 10:38
Updated at Thursday, 12 June 2025 at 03:37
Aryna Sabalenka is one of the biggest and most engaging personalities in tennis, who has won multiple Grand Slams and been the No. 1-ranked player on the planet.
The Belarusian's position as one of the best women's players worldwide means there are many interesting facts about her. She also has an interesting life outside of tennis and likes to engage with her fans regularly.
Sabalenka was born on May 5th, 1998, in Minsk, Belarus. She is 182 cm tall (5 ft 11 1/2 in) and weighs around 80 kg (176 lbs). She currently resides in Miami, Florida, United States.
When did Aryna Sabalenka start playing tennis?
Sabalenka began playing tennis at age six when her father, Sergey, saw tennis courts while driving and decided to take Aryna to play. After her considerable talent quickly became noticeable, she took up the sport regularly and started training at the National Tennis Academy in Minsk in 2014.
What happened to Aryna Sabalenka's father?
In 2019, Sabalenka lost her father to meningitis. Sergey was just 43 when he passed away, and the tennis star has spoken about how much she misses him and how proud he would be of her accomplishments.
Does Aryna Sabalenka have any siblings?
Sabalenka has a younger sister named Tonechka. She sometimes posts about her on social media, and they are known to share a close relationship off the court.
Who was Aryna Sabalenka's idol?
When asked about her tennis inspirations in an interview, Sabalenka said she preferred Serena Williams to Maria Sharapova as a young player and looked up to the 23-time Grand Slam singles champion. Her playing style has been compared to Williams', with Sabalenka believing she plays with at least as much power as the American did.
How many Grand Slams has Aryna Sabalenka won?
Sabalenka is a three-time Grand Slam champion. She secured her maiden major title at the 2023 Australian Open, defeating Elena Rybakina 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 in one of the best Grand Slam women's finals of the 21st century. Sabalenka retained the title a year later, comfortably overcoming Qinwen Zheng in the final.
The Belarusian's third major and first US Open came in 2024. Although her 7-5, 7-5 final triumph against Jessica Pegula only lasted two sets, it was of exceptional quality, and Pegula must have felt unfortunate to play Sabalenka in that form.
Sabalenka has also lost three Grand Slam finals: The 2023 US Open to Coco Gauff, the 2025 Australian Open to Madison Keys, and the 2025 French Open to Gauff again. All three defeats were in the deciding set, and she won the opening set in both matches with Gauff.
When did Aryna Sabalenka become world No. 1?
On September 11th, 2023, Sabalenka overtook Swiatek at No. 1 after finishing as the runner-up to Gauff at the US Open. She fell back to No. 2 when Swiatek won the 2023 WTA Finals two months later before reclaiming the spot again in October 2024.
Sabalenka has remained at the top since and opened up a massive lead over her rivals by achieving consistently excellent results from the second half of the 2024 season onwards.
How many titles has Aryna Sabalenka won?
Sabalenka is a 20-time WTA titlist. 17 came on her favored hard courts, and the other three were on clay. All her clay-court crowns were at the Madrid Open, and she has won nine WTA 1000 tournaments overall. Sabalenka has also been the runner-up at 17 other events.
What awards has Aryna Sabalenka won?
The multiple-time Grand Slam champion's achievements mean she has won a few awards. Among the most notable was being named the 2024 WTA player of the year after winning two Grand Slams and finishing as the world No. 1 during that season.
What is Aryna Sabalenka's relationship with Iga Swiatek?
Sabalenka and Swiatek's interchanging of the No. 1 and No. 2 rankings in 2023 and 2024 and playing several epic matches means their rivalry is one of the best current ones in tennis. The 2024 Madrid Open final, won by Swiatek on a deciding set tiebreak after she saved three championship points, is widely considered one of the best women's contests ever played.
Initially, the pair did not communicate at all. Swiatek used to be extremely introverted, while Sabalenka found it difficult to have friends on the WTA Tour at the start of her career. However, their relationship thawed after they did a TikTok together at the 2024 WTA Finals. The two have practiced multiple times since and share a friendly relationship off the court.
Why is Aryna Sabalenka nicknamed the tiger?
Sabalenka has been called the tiger by fans and some media outlets due to having a tattoo of the animal on her left arm. She does not mind the name, and Nike launched custom gear that included Sabalenka's torso being merged with a tiger's face.
What happened to Aryna Sabalenka's ex-boyfriend?
Konstantin Koltsov, a former ice hockey player, officially began dating Sabalenka in June 2021, but they split sometime before the 2024 Miami Open. On March 18th of that year, Koltsov was found dead in a Miami hotel after an apparent suicide.
Almost a year later, Sabalenka spoke about being convinced to go to therapy by her team before realizing she needed to manage the grief and lingering effects of his loss herself.
Who is Aryna Sabalenka's current boyfriend?
Sabalenka is in a relationship with Georgios Frangulis, a motorsports driver and co-founder of the healthy fast food brand Oakberry. They were first pictured together in April 2024, and the WTA star has made humorous social media posts about him being a social media boyfriend.
What are Aryna Sabalenka's hobbies?
Sabalenka enjoys reading and, when asked, picked "The Count of Mount Cristo" as her favorite book. She also has a sweet tooth and loves food cooked by her grandmother.
What languages does Aryna Sabalenka speak?
The 2024 US Open champion has attempted to be proficient in a few languages. She speaks Belarusian, English, and Russian and knows some Chinese, but she is not as skilled a Chinese speaker as the other three.
Why was Aryna Sabalenka banned from Wimbledon?
Wimbledon organizers caused huge controversy by banning Russian and Belarusian players from the 2022 iteration of the iconic tournament. That was in response to Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, an action supported by the Belarusian government.
Sabalenka was one of several players impacted. Russian-born Elena Rybakina ultimately won the 2022 Wimbledon Championships. She had not been banned because she represented Kazakhstan instead of Russia.
Is Aryna Sabalenka charitable?
Sabalenka has made several attempts to help those in need. Examples include signing towels to be auctioned for women's and children's domestic violence charities and playing in charity mixed doubles matches, including one involving Novak Djokovic.
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