Belarusian tennis star Aryna Sabalenka was born in Minsk, Belarus, on May 5, 1998. Sabalenka, who is currently ranked world No. 1 in singles, began playing tennis by chance when her father, Sergey, took her to a tennis court when she was six years old. She started training at the National Tennis Academy in Minsk when it opened in 2014 and turned professional in 2012. Sabalenka has won three Grand Slam singles titles, including back-to-back Australian Opens in 2023 and 2024, and the US Open in 2024. She has also won six Grand Slam doubles titles, including the 2019 US Open and the 2021 Australian Open, both with Elise Mertens as her partner. Sabalenka currently resides in Miami, Florida, and represents Belarus in international competitions.
Characteristics | Values |
---|---|
Birthplace | Minsk, Belarus |
Birthdate | 5 May 1998 |
Current ranking | 2 |
Number of Grand Slam titles | 3 |
Number of singles titles | 17 |
Number of doubles titles | 6 |
Number of WTA 1000 titles | 7 |
Number of WTA 500 titles | 4 |
Career winnings | $29,071,823 million |
Net worth | $20 million |
Residence | Miami, Florida, U.S. |
What You'll Learn
Aryna Sabalenka's early life and family
Aryna Sabalenka was born on 5 May 1998 in Minsk, Belarus, to her father, Sergey Sabalenka, and mother, Yulia Sabalenka. Sabalenka's father, a former ice hockey player, introduced her to tennis when she was young.
Sabalenka stumbled upon tennis by accident. She recalled:
> One day, my dad was just driving me somewhere in the car, and on the way, he saw tennis courts. So he took me to the courts. I really liked it and enjoyed it, and that's how it was. That's how it started.
She began training at the National Tennis Academy in Minsk when it opened in 2014. Sabalenka made her ITF Junior Circuit debut in the U14 and U16 Tennis Europe tours, which was earlier than most players. She had never competed in the main draw of an ITF event before 2013, when she was 15 and competing in Estonia's Grade-4 Tallink Cup.
Sabalenka's mother, Yulia, has been the biggest admirer of her daughter's sport. Aryna acknowledges the role of her parents in her life and shares a close bond with her mother.
Sabalenka's father, Sergey, passed away in 2019 at the age of 43. Health complications and meningitis have been cited as the cause of his death.
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Her career timeline and notable wins
Aryna Sabalenka is a Belarusian professional tennis player who has achieved notable success in her career so far. Here is a timeline of her career and some of her most prestigious wins:
2012-2016: Professional & Fed Cup debut
Sabalenka began playing on the ITF Women's Circuit in 2012, making her Grand Slam debut at Wimbledon in 2017. She also made her Fed Cup debut for Belarus in April 2016.
2017: Fed Cup heroics, WTA 125 title, top 100
Sabalenka and Aliaksandra Sasnovich led the Belarus Fed Cup team to a runner-up finish, despite their low rankings. She also reached her first WTA Tour final at the Tianjin Open and won the biggest title of her career at the time, the Mumbai Open.
2018: Newcomer of the Year, Premier 5 title
Sabalenka reached her second career final at the Ladies Open Lugano, putting her in the top 50 for the first time. She won her first WTA Tour title at the Connecticut Open and was named WTA Newcomer of the Year.
2019: Singles top 10, doubles No. 2
Sabalenka won three WTA singles titles at the Shenzhen Open, Wuhan Open, and Zhuhai. She also won her first Grand Slam doubles title at the US Open with Elise Mertens.
2020: Three WTA titles, top 10
Sabalenka reached the semifinals in Adelaide and won three WTA titles at the Qatar Open, Ostrava, and Linz. She finished the year in the top 10 for the first time.
2021: Doubles No. 1, singles No. 2
Sabalenka won her second Grand Slam doubles title at the Australian Open with Mertens and became world No. 1 in doubles. She also won the Madrid Open singles title and reached her first Grand Slam quarterfinal and semifinal at Wimbledon.
2022: WTA Finals runner-up, US Open semis
Sabalenka reached her first final of the year at the Women's Stuttgart Open and qualified for the WTA Finals for the second year in a row, reaching the final.
2023: Australian Open champion, No. 1
Sabalenka won her first Grand Slam singles title at the Australian Open, defeating Elena Rybakina. She also reached the final of the Indian Wells Open and became world No. 1 in singles for the first time.
2024: Two major titles, year-end No. 1
Sabalenka successfully defended her Australian Open title, defeating Zheng Qinwen. She also won the US Open, defeating Jessica Pegula, and the Cincinnati Open, defeating Pegula again. She finished the year as world No. 1.
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Her relationships and personal life
Aryna Sabalenka is currently dating Brazilian Georgios Frangulis, the owner of the brand Oakberry. The couple went Instagram official in May 2024 and have been together since the initial months of April 2024. Frangulis was born on September 9, 1988, in San Paolo, Brazil, and is a motorsports player. He has competed in 128 races for the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge and has also sponsored the Haas F1 Team. Sabalenka signed a brand endorsement deal with his company Oakberry in January 2024.
Previously, Sabalenka dated Konstantin Koltsov, a former ice-hockey professional. They were first linked in June 2021 and made their relationship Instagram official soon after. However, in March 2024, Koltsov died by suicide at the age of 42. Sabalenka revealed that they were separated at the time of his death.
Sabalenka was born in Minsk, Belarus, and has represented her country throughout her tennis career. She began playing tennis when her father, Sergey, took her to some tennis courts when she was six years old. Her mother is called Yulia Sabalenka, and Sabalenka shares a close bond with her.
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Her net worth and endorsements
Aryna Sabalenka is a Belarusian professional tennis player with an estimated net worth of $20 million as of 2024. Sabalenka's main sources of earnings are her tennis career and the endorsement deals she has garnered over time.
Sabalenka has earned over $29 million in prize money as of November 2024. She has won 17 singles titles and 6 doubles titles, totaling 23 titles. Her major wins include the 2023 and 2024 Australian Opens, the 2024 US Open, the 2019 US Open (doubles), and the 2021 Australian Open (doubles).
Sabalenka's main sponsorship deals include Nike for clothing and footwear, and Wilson for her racquet. Sabalenka is also the proud owner of a Lamborghini Aventador S Roadster and is rumoured to own a Mercedes-Benz G-Class.
Sabalenka has made significant contributions to charitable endeavours, such as teaming up with World No. 1 Novak Djokovic for a charity match to support various children's charities through the Australian Tennis Foundation.
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Her charity work and foundations
Aryna Sabalenka has been involved in a number of charitable endeavours and has donated her money to various charitable ventures. Here is a detailed overview of her notable charity work and foundations:
- In a charity match against Greek players Stefanos Tsitsipas and Maria Sakkari, Sabalenka teamed up with World No. 1 Novak Djokovic. The purpose of the match was to provide support to various children's charities through the Australian Tennis Foundation.
- Sabalenka signed two towels to be auctioned off for a women's domestic violence charity.
- Sabalenka represented Belarus at the Junior Fed Cup in 2014, with the team finishing in sixth place.
- Sabalenka made her senior Fed Cup debut for Belarus in 2016, losing a dead rubber doubles match against Russia. Nonetheless, the Belarusian team, captained by Victoria Azarenka and Aliaksandra Sasnovich, won the match and, for the first time, qualified for the World Group in the following season.
- In 2017, the Belarus Fed Cup team made their debut in the World Group and ultimately reached the final, despite being the underdogs. Sabalenka clinched both ties, with wins over Michaëlla Krajicek and Viktorija Golubic, respectively.
- Sabalenka has been an outspoken supporter of the Ukrainian people following the Russian invasion, expressing her hope for peace and stating that "nobody in this world, Russian athletes or Belarusian athletes, support the war."
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Frequently asked questions
Sabalenka is from Minsk, Belarus.
Sabalenka is Belarusian.
Sabalenka currently resides in Miami, Florida, USA.
Yes, Sabalenka moved to Miami, USA during her teenage years to pursue tennis training at a higher level.