Aryna Sabalenka says she would be a boxer or a plus-size model if she was not a world tennis champion.
The women’s world No 1 caught up with Esquire as she became their cover star with a blue fur coat and high heels in a varied interview and photoshoot.
Sabalenka’s career and personal life have been soaring in tandem. In September she won her second consecutive US Open and her fourth Grand Slam overall.
Then, in March, she announced her engagement to entrepreneur Georgios Frangulis and flaunted a diamond-encrusted ring to her followers.
Sabalenka is known for her passionate antics on court – sometimes at the expense of her racquets – but what would she be doing if she wasn’t a global tennis hit?
‘Boxing or maybe modeling. Maybe model size plus. I would be good,’ she told Esquire.
‘Until the end of my life, I’ll have to do something where I’m that aggressive – maybe boxing – because I feel like I’m balancing these two personalities really well.
Aryna Sabalenka wore a gigantic blue fur coat and high heels for her shoot with Esquire
The world No 1 women’s tennis star says she would alternatively be a boxer or plus-size model
She says she is ‘completely different’ to the aggressive character she is on the court
‘On the court, I’m quite aggressive, quite emotional, which I need to be to pull out my best tennis. Off the court, I’m a completely different person.’
That said, she is trying to keep a lid on the aggression and channel it in the right way.
‘I’m always going to be me,’ she said. ‘But there is a line when you become a terrible person that you cannot cross.’
Her ferocity is a trait she has inherited from her father, Sergey. He was a professional hockey star and played for Belarus but died unexpectedly of meningitis aged 43 in 2019.
Sabalenka has spoken openly how his sudden passing inspired her to kick on and make something of herself in tennis.
‘[He taught me] To stay strong no matter what, to be positive no matter what, to have fun in life no matter what,’ she said.
‘He didn’t realize he was being a good example, because he was also facing a lot of ups and downs. He was always fighting, and that’s why I have a really strong fighting spirit on the court.
‘Going through loss, it’s important to do your work, keep yourself distracted. At the same time, it’s important to grieve, to cry, to go through the emotions. Never hold it inside, because it’ll destroy you from the inside. I was letting it go, but I was able to go on the court and practise.’
Alongside her snaps in the gigantic blue coat, which Sabalenka cheekily requested Esquire to send her afterwards, the 27-year-old posed in an array of different outfits.
In one shot she threw peace signs while donning a Versace dress and wearing a watch by Swiss manufacturer Audemars Piguet.
Elsewhere, she wore a billowing yellow and black dress by Sacai, a light green jacket by Jacquemus + Nike, and sandals – perhaps not the most suitable outfit for a tennis match, but an eye-catching one for the magazine.
