“I was born the year of the tiger,” said Aryna Sabalenka as she narrated the story behind her fierce ‘Tiger’ tattoo. The Belarusian WTA star, besides winning multiple tournaments, has also created a massive aura that the fans love to follow. Be it her strong comments after her victories or her cheeky moments alongside her incredible team, her antics are always a hit in the tennis community. As she currently explores the beauty of China, Sabalenka got to know about an even deeper significance behind her ‘Tiger’ story.
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Aryna Sabalenka recently joined in on a fun WTA Tour session where players were asked to guess their competitors’ Chinese zodiac signs. Based on her qualities, brave, competitive, confident, strong-willed, and popular, her fellow WTA players were able to guess Sabalenka’s Chinese Zodiac sign correctly – it was Tiger. And the US Open champion cheekily responded to that. She thanked her mother, saying, “Thanks Mom, thanks Mom for a great year of birth,” before adding with a smile, “Oh really okay, charming, good.” The engaging session posted on WTA Tour’s official YouTube channel included players like Coco Gauff, Jessica Pegula, Jasmine Paolini, and more.
Sabalenka recently secured her 13th straight victory on the WTA tour by defeating Mananchaya Sawangkaew 6-4, 6-1 in the second round of the China Open. With this win, she also created a record for the most wins in the WTA 1000 tournaments in China, since the format was introduced in 2009.
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Sabalenka is now set to face Ashlyn Krueger in the third round as the top seed in the ongoing event. This run in the China Open is also poised to help her gain more ranking points and close the gap with Iga Swiatek. The Polish tennis star withdrew from the tournament and the Belarusian has a golden opportunity now.
Coming back to Sabalenka’s Chinese Zodiac sign, which is the Tiger, the Belarusian actually has a tiger tattoo inked on her arm. She explained the personal story behind it in an interview. “I was born the year of the tiger. I was dating a guy covered in tattoos, and I thought a tiger suits me. I’m a fighter, I never give up. I hated it at first, so did my parents. My mom didn’t speak to me for a week. She said what the f*** is this?’” the US Open champion laughed as she recalled the story. However, there is another story related to Sabalenka’s tiger tattoo and this one is quite adorable.
When Aryna Sabalenka met her little tigress fan
Aryna Sabalenka was seen having an extra special moment during her 6-3, 6-1 victory over Lucia Bronzetti at the 2024 US Open. The Belarusian WTA star spotted a young fan who caught her attention while playing at Louis Armstrong Stadium. The fan was dressed up exactly like Sabalenka and also had a matching tiger tattoo on her little arm. Sabalenka couldn’t help but smile. She later mentioned it in the post-match interview.
“It was really adorable,” Sabalenka said after the match. “I just looked up, and I saw on the big screen, like, mini me! It was so cute. That’s the first time I see someone dress up the same as me, having little tattoo and a little tiger. How cute is that?” Sabalenka said.
After securing her win, Sabalenka made sure she met her little doppelgänger. Both of them were seen taking selfies together, and Sabalenka later shared how much connecting with young fans means to her. “It’s such a motivation to keep going, to inspire the young generation. That’s the main goal. Yeah, that was a very adorable moment,” she said. That heartwarming moment there showcased the champion’s soft side.