Aryna Sabalenka sent a not-so-subtle message to her mega-rich boyfriend after winning the Brisbane International on Sunday morning. The world’s top-ranked player stormed to the title without losing a single set to send a warning to her rivals ahead of the Australian Open. She cruised past Marta Kostyuk in the final, claiming a 6-4 6-3 victory over her opponent from Ukraine.
Sabalenka wrapped up the match in just 79 minutes to claim her third Brisbane title in four years, with Kostyuk simply having no answer throughout. In her victory speech, she sent a pointed message to her boyfriend Georgios Frangulis, a Brazilian businessman who is estimated to be worth around £80million.
Addressing the crowd in Brisbane, the 27-year-old dropped a major hint that she wanted Frangulis to propose while also thanking her team for their support during the tournament.
She said: “Last but not least, thank you to my team for handling me. I really am the toughest to handle and you are the toughest in the world because you can handle me.
“Thank you to my boyfriend… Hopefully soon I can call you something else. Let’s just put some extra pressure.”
It wasn’t the first time that Sabalenka had asked her boyfriend to propose, having made a similar point during the US Open last year.
During her third-round victory over Leylah Fernandez, a couple in the stands became engaged. The gentleman dropped to one knee and left his partner utterly speechless as she dissolved into tears before accepting his proposal.
Sabalenka later confessed that whilst it marked the first occasion such an event had occurred during one of her matches, she tried to block it out to maintain her concentration.
“I think it’s the first time that someone proposed during my match,” she explained. “It was a very sweet moment, but I was just trying not to start smiling, because it’s very cute and I believe they’re super happy right now.
“I was just trying to keep focusing on my game, and it was great moment, and as I said on court, I wish them happy marriage.”
Sabalenka made it clear that she wouldn’t want a similar proposal but cheekily hinted at her boyfriend Frangulis, adding: “I don’t want this kind of proposal, but I looked at my boyfriend. Yeah, no pressure.”
Back in 2024, the tennis ace thanked Frangulis for helping her through a difficult year as she opened up on their relationship.
“There was a really tough period where I was really happy to have him by my side, always cheering me up, always making sure that we are doing some fun stuff,” said the Belarusian
“But I make sure I kind of forget about tennis and focus on the good things and enjoy my life. Even when things are going wrong in my career. So yeah, he was my biggest support and yeah, really happy to have him by my side.”