Australian Open, world No 1, Belarus: Everything you always wanted to know about Aryna Sabalenka (but never had time to find out) – updated with choosing to skip Paris 2024 Olympics
Aryna Sabalenka won her second Australian Open title in a row in January 2024. Here are answers to some common questions you may have about the Belarusian
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Who is Aryna Sabalenka?
Aryna Sabalenka is a professional tennis player from Belarus. She was born on May 5, 1998. She has won two Grand Slam titles, 14 singles titles worldwide and became world No 1 for the first time on September 11, 2023.
What did Aryna Sabalenka do in the clay-court season in 2024?
Aryna Sabalenka reached back to back WTA 1000 finals in Madrid and Rome, only to lose out to world No 1 Iga Swiatek both times. In Madrid, she lost a final-set tiebreak, having held three match points, while in Rome she lost 6-2, 6-3.
At Roland-Garros, Sabalenka reached the quarter-finals without dropping a set, but she lost in the last eight to Mirra Andreeva, going down 6-7 (5), 6-4, 6-4 to the prodigious teenager.
After the match, Sabalenka revealed that she had been struggling with a stomach bug for the past few days, something that had visibly affected the Belarusian physically.
is aryna sabalenka playing the 2024 paris olympics?
No. Sabalenka announced in June 2024 that she has chosen to skip the Paris Olympics in order to protect her physical health ahead of the North American hard-court swing, despite comfortably qualifying through her ranking.
WhAT DID Aryna SABALENKA DO AT THE AUSTRALIAN OPEN?
Aryna Sabalenka won the 2024 Australian Open, her second title in a row in Melbourne. She beat Coco Gauff 7-6 (2), 6-4 in the semi-final to make her third hard-court slam final in a row before defeating Zheng Qinwen 6-3, 6-2 to win the title.
Aryna Sabalenka became the 29th woman ever to top the WTA rankings when she hit world No 1 spot on September 11, 2023. The Belarusian won the Australian Open in January, reached the semi-finals at Roland-Garros and at Wimbledon, and finished runner-up at the US Open, where she lost out to Coco Gauff. She lost the No 1 ranking to Iga Swiatek after the 2023 WTA Finals, where she was a semi-finalist, losing to the Pole.
She won her first Grand Slam title at the Australian Open in 2023, beating the Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 to win the final. It was a first slam final for the 24-year-old and she finished it off on her fourth match point.
Before that, Aryna Sabalenka reached the then-biggest final of her career at the 2022 WTA Finals in Fort Worth, Texas. The powerful Belarussian qualified for the semi-finals in second place in her round-robin group, and went on to beat world No 1 Iga Swiatek in three sets in the semi-finals for one of her biggest wins of her career.
Who was Konstantin Koltsov?
Konstantin Koltsov was Aryna Sabalenka’s boyfriend. He was a former player in the NHL and played in two Olympic Games. He died in March 2024 at the age of 42. A statement from Salavat Yulaev, the club where he was assistant coach, described him as a “strong and cheerful person”.
A few days after the incident, Sabalenka made her first public statement on the incident, saying that she was heartbroken even as she revealed that she and Koltsov were no longer together at the time of his death.
Sabalenka chose to play at the Miami Open, the tournament during which Koltsov tragically died, reaching the second round where she lost to Anhelina Kalinina.
She then played at the Stuttgart Open, where she reached the quarter-finals before losing to Market Vondrousova and bounced back to reach the final of the Madrid Open, going down to top-ranked Swiatek in a third set tiebreak.
How did Sabalenka’s father pass away?
Sabalenka’s father, Sergey, a former ice-hockey player, passed away at the age of 43 after contracting meningitis.
The Belarusian spoke about her father on the Netflix series ;Break Point’ Season 2.
Are Sabalenka and Badosa best friends?
Yes, the pair have been best friends for sometime now.
Sabalenka described Badosa as her soulmate. “It is very difficult. It doesn’t happen very often that you can find your soulmate on the circuit because we compete against each other. But we had this deal: on the court we are opponents, we can shout whatever we want, but off the court we are friends again,” she told the Puntodebreak website. “We can take a day, depending on who wins, to accept the fact that one of us lost, but then we become friends again. It’s hard, and I’m super happy to have her. She is a very nice girl and having her by my side is very important to me.”
Badosa was among those who had been in touch with Sabalenka after the passing away of Koltsov.
“Yesterday I spoke with her a lot of time. This morning the same. So I know what she’s going through. I know the entire situation, what is happening. That for me is a little bit shocking also to go through that because at the end she’s my best friend and I don’t want her to suffer. It’s a very tough situation.”
What is Sabalenka’s stance on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine?
The Belarusian has avoided posting anything on social media or made any statements since Russia began its invasion of Ukraine.
However, in 2023, she commented on feeling “hate” from others on tour because of her nationality. And at Wimbledon, she distanced herself from the actions of the Belarusian government. She has consistently said, since then, that she is anti-war.
Can Sabalenka continue to play on the WTA Tour and at Grand Slams?
Aryna Sabalenka is allowed to continue playing on the WTA Tour and the Grand Slam events.
The All England Club and Lawn Tennis Association announced in April 2022 that Russian and Belarusian players would not be permitted to compete in any tournaments in the United Kingdom based on the directional guidance provided by the UK government for sporting events. In 2023, they confirmed Russians and Belarusians could compete if they signed a declaration of neutrality.
Sabalenka and other Russian/Belarusian players are not allowed to compete under their national flag on the Tour and other Grand Slams. Russia and Belarus are also be banned from team competitions, including Davis Cup, until further notice.
What is her best Grand Slam performance?
Sabalenka won her first Grand Slam title when she beat Elena Rybakina to win the Australian Open in January 2023, and defended it a year later against Zheng Qinwen.
Before that she had reached three Grand Slam semi-finals but lost each time; to Karolina Pliskova at Wimbledon in 2021, to Leylah Fernandez in the semi-finals of the US Open in 2021 and to Iga Swiatek in the semi-finals of the US Open in 2022. She advanced to her first US Open final in 2023 but lost to Coco Gauff 2-6, 6-3, 6-2.
What nationality is Aryna Sabalenka?
Aryna Sabalenka is Belarusian. She was born in the country’s capital, Minsk.
How many titles has Sabalenka won?
Aryna Sabalenka has won 14 singles titles on the WTA tour, including back-to-back Australian Opens in 2023 and 2024.
She has won five WTA 1000 titles, including the Wuhan Open twice (2018 and 2019) and the Madrid Open twice (2021 and 2023).
What about in doubles?
Aryna Sabalenka excels in both main forms of the game but has stopped playing doubles in order to focus on singles. In February 2021, she reached the top ranking for doubles, having played most of her doubles events in 2020 with Belgian Elise Mertens. Sabalenka has won six doubles titles in her career.
After winning the 2021 Australian Open doubles title with Mertens (their second Grand Slam title as a team), the pair announced that they would not play together at the rest of the Slams as Sabalenka wanted to focus on singles.
What is Sabalenka’s best ranking?
Sabalenka became No 1 for the first time in September 2023.
Heading into the 2023 US Open, her career-high ranking was No 2, a mark she reached for the first time on August 23, 2021. She then returned to No 2 after winning the Australian Open in 2023. She took over as world No 1 for the first time following her runner-up effort at the 2023 US Open. Her current ranking and rankings history can be seen on her WTA Tour profile page.
How much prize money has she won?
Sabalenka has won $23.68 million in prize money, in singles and doubles combined, as of May 20, 2024. Her updated prize money stats can be seen on her WTA Tour profile page.
Who is her coach?
Sabalenka is now working with Anton Dubrov, her former hitting partner, after a trial in 2020 with Dieter Kindlmann, the former coach of Angelique Kerber, failed to work out. She previously worked with former Russian player Dmitry Tursunov and Sascha Bajin.
Does Aryna Sabalenka have a nickname?
Yes. The Warrior Princess, named, perhaps for her fearless, powerful game. And it seems she likes it.
What are her hobbies?
According to her profile on the WTA website, she likes pancakes, dogs and reading. Sabalenka’s favourite book is the Count of Monte Cristo, by Alexandre Dumas.
Is Aryna Sabalenka active on social media?
The Belarusian has more than 126,600 followers on her Twitter feed (as of May 20, 2024), where she mostly posts training posts but occasionally the odd more fun offering.
She also has over 104,000 followers on Facebook but is most active on Instagram, where she has more than 1.7 million followers.
