There was a time when the world didn’t know enough about Aryna Sabelenka and the initial impressions may not have been all positive, but the world No 1 has transformed that initial pessimism from some tennis fans into a wave of popular support over the last few years.
In an era when too many sports guard are desperate to give their fans as little as possible when it comes to glimpsing into their private lives, Sabalenka has gone the other way and become the tennis queen of TikTok, with the fun she has off the court allowing her to build up a huge social media following.
She loves to post images of her dances with her team, practical jokes they may have played on each other and if not afraid to make fun of herself by posing for comical photos or taking party in playful dances.
The intense tennis player who screams her way through matches and often gives the impression that she is an explosive character who struggles to contain her anger, but the reality is a little different when she puts her rackets down.
Sabalenka has long been one of the jokers of the tennis world, with her beaming smile and endearing personality shining through as she made a positive impression on the Netflix show Break Point, which took tennis fans behind the scenes on the women’s and men’s tours.
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By then, she was already building up her following on social media, with her delightful TikTok dances especially appealing to young girls were were also part of that booming trend.
Her followers have lived through the trauma of her battling service yips that came close to forcing her out of the sport in 2022 to witnessing her impressive comeback and rise to world No 1, with that story hard to resist.
We have also seen her vulnerable side on numerous occasions, with US Open chiefs cheekily releasing video of her smashing a racket after she lost the 2023 US Open final against Coco Gauff.
She has had numerous meltdowns on court that make her triumphs all the more relatable and when she makes a mistake, she is always quick to own it.
That was the case after this year’s French Open, when she suggested Gauff’s win was primarily down to how bad she had played.
That narrative did not paint Sabalenka in a good light, but she didn’t take long to step back from her error and put it right.
“I did what I did. I get what I deserve, I believe,” Sabalenka said, referring to the media fallout following her comments after the French Open final.
“I didn’t want to offend her. I was just completely upset with myself and emotions got over me. I completely lost it. Of course she’s got my respect. She knows it. I’m happy that she was, like: ‘Yeah, it’s all good, don’t worry.’”
Sabalenka that confirmed she was on good terms with Gauff by doing what she does best and performing a TikTok dance with her in the days before Wimbledon.
Here is an example of an athlete who appreciates she has a voice and wants to use it for the greater good and it doesn’t feel like her social media fun is a show just to bring in more sponsors or make her brand more marketable.
Instead, the Sabalenka show on TikTok and Instagram is a delight to watch and the recent images she posted from her holiday with boyfriend Georgios Frangulis already created plenty of headlines.
Her revealing bikini images and loving embraces with her partner allowed fans to glimpse into their Greek holiday and she is also happy to talk about her romance in interviews.
“We met when I was signing the contract with Oakberry. He’s the founder and owner of the brand,,” she said in an interview earlier this year.
“I went to see the team, and he was there. We talked a little bit, but then later on, we just went out for dinner, and that’s how everything started. We’ve been together for a year.
“It’s very important for me to have my partner next to me. It’s really cool that his work is also global.
“I realize not everyone is as lucky as me to have a partner who can travel with me and my crazy schedule while still working. It’s just cool to see him in the box when I play. He motivates me to keep going. It means a lot.”
Sabalenka has allowed us all a window into her world and we like what we see from an engaging sporting hero who is not afraid to show us her flaws and gives us all a chance to realise what a great champion she is on and off the court.
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