History of Aryna Sabalenka in Timeline
Aryna Sabalenka is a Belarusian professional tennis player currently ranked No. 1 in the world for women's singles by the WTA. She previously held the No. 1 ranking in doubles. Sabalenka's career highlights include 22 WTA Tour-level singles titles, with four Grand Slam victories: two at the Australian Open and two at the US Open. She has also claimed nine WTA 1000 titles. In doubles, she has six titles, including the 2019 US Open and the 2021 Australian Open, both won in partnership with Elise Mertens.
5 hours ago : Aryna Sabalenka Announces Engagement; Tennis Stars Djokovic and Alcaraz Offer Congratulations
Aryna Sabalenka, the tennis star, has announced her engagement, prompting congratulations from fellow players Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz. Djokovic was seen congratulating Sabalenka. The tennis world celebrates Sabalenka's joyous news.
1995: Arantxa Sánchez Vicario
Arantxa Sánchez Vicario had 12 weeks until 1995
May 1998: Aryna Sabalenka's Birth
In May 1998, Aryna Siarhiejeŭna Sabalenka was born. She is a Belarusian professional tennis player.
1998: Natasha Zvereva's Wimbledon Semifinal
In 1998, Natasha Zvereva reached the Wimbledon semifinal, preceding Sabalenka's achievement.
1999: Steffi Graf's Feat
In 1999, Steffi Graf defeated the top 3 players at the same tournament, joining Steffi Graf (1999 French Open).
2002: Serena Williams' Feat
In 2002, Serena Williams defeated the top 3 players at the same tournament, joining Serena Williams (2002 Miami Open).
2008: Venus Williams' Feat
In 2008, Venus Williams defeated the top 3 players at the same tournament, joining Venus Williams (2008 WTA Finals).
2011: Victoria Azarenka's Wimbledon Semifinal
In 2011, Victoria Azarenka reached the Wimbledon semifinal, preceding Sabalenka's achievement.
2012: Start on ITF Women's Circuit
In 2012, Aryna Sabalenka began playing on the ITF Women's Circuit, competing in tournaments in Minsk.
2012: Victoria Azarenka's Wimbledon Semifinal
In 2012, Victoria Azarenka reached the Wimbledon semifinal for the second time.
2013: Australian Open Win
In 2013, Victoria Azarenka successfully defended her title at the Australian Open. Sabalenka later accomplished the same feat.
2014: First Professional Match Win
At the very end of 2014, Aryna Sabalenka won her first professional match in Istanbul.
2014: Training at National Tennis Academy
In 2014, Aryna Sabalenka began training at the National Tennis Academy in Minsk when it opened.
2014: Success at Grade 4 Events
In 2014, Aryna Sabalenka excelled at Grade 4 events, reaching her first singles final at the Estonian Junior Open in June and winning her first singles title at the MTV Total Junior Cup in Finland in October. At the end of the season, she defended her Alatan Tour Cup doubles title with Nika Shytkouskaya and also won the singles title.
2014: Junior Fed Cup
In 2014, Aryna Sabalenka represented Belarus at the Junior Fed Cup, with the team finishing in sixth place.
2014: Serena Williams Wins US Open
In 2014, Serena Williams won the US Open. Aryna Sabalenka became the first singles player to defend a US Open title since Serena Williams won the 2014 US Open, achieving the feat in 2024.
2015: European Junior Championships
In 2015, Aryna Sabalenka only played in one tournament, the European Junior Championships, losing in the second round to Markéta Vondroušová.
2015: Focus on Professional Events
In 2015, the Belarusian Tennis Federation persuaded Aryna Sabalenka and her team to focus on playing low-level professional events instead of junior tournaments.
2016: Fed Cup Debut and Top 200 Ranking
In 2016, Aryna Sabalenka made her Fed Cup debut, won two $50k titles, entered the top 200 in May, and finished the year ranked at No. 137 in the world.
2016: WTA Tour Debut and First Win
In 2016, Aryna Sabalenka played in her first WTA Tour main draw at the Dubai Open, reaching the main draw through qualifying at Wimbledon and defeating Irina Khromacheva for her first WTA Tour match win. She also won against Lauren Davis at the Washington Open.
2016: Reaching Semifinals of all four major events and becoming world no. 1
In 2016, Serena Williams reached the semifinals of all four major events and Sabalenka became the world No. 1 tennis player at the conclusion of the US Open. Sabalenka became the 29th player to be ranked No. 1 in the world on the WTA Tour, and the second Belarusian, after Victoria Azarenka. She was also just the eighth female player to have been ranked No. 1 in the Open Era in both singles and doubles at some point in their careers.
2017: Fed Cup Runner-Up Finish
In 2017, Aryna Sabalenka and Aliaksandra Sasnovich led the Belarus Fed Cup team to a runner-up finish, despite being ranked outside the top 75.
2017: Transition to WTA Events
In 2017, Aryna Sabalenka increased participation in WTA events due to higher ranking.
2017: First time on grass courts
In 2017, Aryna Sabalenka played on grass courts for the first time at Wimbledon and enjoyed it, noting her game suited grass and hard courts.
2017: Previous Fed Cup success
In 2017, Belarus enjoyed success in the Fed Cup, a feat they were unable to repeat in 2018.
2018: Year-End Ranking No. 11
At the end of 2018, Aryna Sabalenka was ranked No. 11 in the world in singles.
2018: Crowd mocked grunting at Australian Open
During the 2018 Australian Open, the crowd mocked Aryna Sabalenka's loud grunting during a match against Ashleigh Barty.
2018: Year-End Ranking and Titles in China
In 2018, Aryna Sabalenka finished the year with the same year-end ranking, winning three titles in China. She began the season by winning her third career WTA title at the Shenzhen Open.
2018: Australian Open Loss and Indian Wells Performance
In 2018, Aryna Sabalenka lost in the first round of the Australian Open to Ashleigh Barty but reached the third round at the Indian Wells Open, including a victory over Svetlana Kuznetsova.
2018: Ladies Open Lugano finals
In 2018, Aryna Sabalenka reached the finals in both singles and doubles at the Ladies Open Lugano on clay courts.
2018: Coaching changes
In early 2018, Aryna Sabalenka stopped working with Khalil Ibrahimov and began working with Magnus Norman and Magnus Tideman. Dmitry Tursunov became her primary coach for the grass court season in 2018.
2018: Improvement in Shot Selection
In the summer of 2018, Aryna Sabalenka's coach Dmitry Tursunov credited her improvement to developing better shot selection.
2019: Split and reunion with coach Tursunov
After the 2019 US Open, Aryna Sabalenka briefly split with Dmitry Tursunov, her coach, but they reunited later in 2019 before a permanent split at the end of the season.
2019: Doubles Success and WTA Finals Qualification
In 2019, Aryna Sabalenka began playing doubles regularly, winning the Sunshine Double with Elise Mertens and qualifying for the WTA Finals after winning the US Open doubles title.
2019: Year-End Ranking No. 11
In 2019, Aryna Sabalenka finished the year ranked No. 11 in the world in singles for the second consecutive year.
2019: US Open Doubles Title
In 2019, Aryna Sabalenka won the US Open doubles title with Elise Mertens.
2019: Death of father, Sergey
In 2019, Aryna Sabalenka's father, Sergey, a former ice hockey player, passed away suddenly at the age of 43 due to meningitis.
2019: Rivalry with Elena Rybakina Begins
Since 2019, Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina have met 15 times, with Sabalenka leading 8–7 in the head-to-head.
August 2020: Criticism of government during Belarusian protests
In August 2020, during the 2020–2021 Belarusian protests, Aryna Sabalenka criticized the government of Alexander Lukashenko for its dispersal of peaceful protests and called for no violence. She was later criticized for not supporting the protest movement's goals. She also praised the Belarusian government for its support for sports.
2020: High Double Fault Count
In 2020, Aryna Sabalenka served 166 double faults, the most of any player.
2020: Wuhan Open suspended
In 2020, the Wuhan Open was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
2020: Rivalry with Coco Gauff Begins
Since 2020, Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff have met 12 times, with their head-to-head record tied at 6–6.
February 2021: Ascension to World No. 1 in Doubles
On February 22, 2021, Aryna Sabalenka won the doubles competition with Elise Mertens at the Australian Open and ascended to world No. 1 in the doubles rankings for the first time in her career.
2021: Rise to World No. 2 Ranking
Following two major singles semifinal appearances in 2021, Aryna Sabalenka rose to the world No. 2 ranking.
2021: Suffering from the Yips
From the 2021 WTA Finals into 2022, Aryna Sabalenka notably suffered from the yips, serving 152 double faults in 11 matches.
2021: Relationship with Konstantin Koltsov
In 2021, Aryna Sabalenka began a relationship with Konstantin Koltsov.
2021: First clay court title at Madrid Open
In 2021, Aryna Sabalenka secured her first clay court title at the Madrid Open.
2021: Signing of open letter regarding politics and sport
In 2021, Aryna Sabalenka signed an open letter stating that sport should remain outside of politics, which was interpreted by Belarusian media as supportive of Lukashenko amid widespread protests following a disputed election.
2021: Madrid 2021
In 2021, Aryna Sabalenka won her first title at the Madrid 2021.
2021: World No. 1 in Doubles
In 2021, Aryna Sabalenka won the Australian Open doubles title with Elise Mertens and became the world No. 1 in the discipline, after which she shifted to playing exclusively singles.
2021: Australian Open Doubles Title
In 2021, Aryna Sabalenka won the Australian Open doubles title with Elise Mertens.
2021: Abu Dhabi Open Title
In 2021, Aryna Sabalenka won the title at the Abu Dhabi Open, extending her winning streak to 15 matches and reaching a new ranking of No. 7.
2021: Rivalry with Iga Świątek Begins
Since 2021, Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Świątek have met 13 times, with Świątek leading the head-to-head 8–5. Their rivalry is considered one of the greatest in women's tennis.
August 2022: Second Serve Improvement
Starting in August 2022, Aryna Sabalenka's second serve began to show improvements after working with a biomechanics expert following the 2022 Canadian Open.
2022: Banning of Russian and Belarusian players from Wimbledon
Following the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Russian and Belarusian players were banned from the 2022 Wimbledon Championships. Sabalenka said, "I just understand that it's not my fault."
2022: 2022 Season
In 2022, Aryna Sabalenka reached the quarterfinals at the Qatar Ladies Open, her first final at the Stuttgart Open, and was knocked out of the Madrid Open by Amanda Anisimova. At the Italian Open, she lost to Świątek in the semifinals for the third time in 2022 and she lost in the third round at the French Open.
2022: Struggles to Maintain Success
In 2022, Aryna Sabalenka struggled to maintain her success consistently.
2022: Adelaide International Struggles
In 2022, Aryna Sabalenka struggled with her serve at the Adelaide International 1 and Adelaide International 2, losing early in both tournaments and recording numerous double faults.
January 2023: Appearance in Netflix's Break Point
Aryna Sabalenka appeared in the tennis docuseries Break Point, which premiered on Netflix on 13 January 2023.
January 2023: Comments on the war in Ukraine
In January 2023, Aryna Sabalenka expressed support for the Ukrainian people and the use of Ukraine-colored ribbons. She stated that she just understood that the situation wasn't her fault. Her comments were criticized by Lesia Tsurenko's coach and former Ukrainian player Sergiy Stakhovsky for lacking substance and compassion. She later indicated support for ending the war in Ukraine and hoping for peace.
2023: Comments on war and Lukashenko
During a press conference at the 2023 French Open, Aryna Sabalenka stated that no normal person would support the war and that she doesn't support Lukashenko right now.
2023: Custom garments by Nike
From the 2023 US Open onwards, Nike started to design custom garments for Aryna Sabalenka.
2023: Australian Open Final Win
In 2023, Aryna Sabalenka defeated Elena Rybakina in three sets at the Australian Open final to win her first Grand Slam title.
2023: First Major Singles Title and World No. 1 Ranking
In 2023, Aryna Sabalenka won her first major singles title at the Australian Open, finished runner-up at the US Open, obtained the world No. 1 ranking, and was named the ITF World Champion for the season.
2023: BNP Paribas Open Win for Rybakina
In 2023, Elena Rybakina won a contested final against Aryna Sabalenka 7–6(11), 6–4 to secure her first WTA 1000 title at the BNP Paribas Open.
2023: Wuhan Open continued
The Wuhan Open was suspended due to COVID-19 from 2020 until 2023.
March 2024: Death of Konstantin Koltsov
In March 2024, Aryna Sabalenka's boyfriend from 2021, Konstantin Koltsov, died of an apparent suicide at age 42. The couple were separated at the time of his death.
2024: Shoulder Injury, Wimbledon Withdrawal, and Cincinnati Open Win
In 2024, Aryna Sabalenka suffered a right shoulder injury at the Berlin Ladies Open in June and subsequently withdrew from the Wimbledon Championships. However, she rebounded by winning the Cincinnati Open in August, defeating Iga Świątek and Jessica Pegula.
2024: Wuhan Open Title
In 2024, Aryna Sabalenka won her third Wuhan Open title, defeating Zheng Qinwen in the final. She also secured her second WTA 1000 title for the season.
2024: Australian Open semifinals Win
In 2024, Sabalenka defeated Gauff at the Australian Open semifinals on her way to defending the title.
June 2025: Global ambassador for IM8
In June 2025, Aryna Sabalenka became a global ambassador and minority shareholder of IM8, a health‑supplement brand co‑founded by David Beckham.
December 2025: Exhibition Match: Sabalenka vs. Kyrgios
In December 2025, Aryna Sabalenka (women's singles world No. 1) and Nick Kyrgios (men's singles world No. 671) contested an exhibition match called the Battle of the Sexes at the Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai. Kyrgios won in straight sets. The event was organized by their shared management agency, Evolve.
2025: Coaching team composition
As of 2025, Aryna Sabalenka's coaching team includes Dubrov, Mirnyi, fitness trainer Jason Stacy, and hitting partner Andrei Vasilevski.
2025: Year-End World No. 1 and WTA Player of the Year
At the conclusion of the 2025 season, Aryna Sabalenka finished as year-end world no. 1 for the second consecutive time, and was also named WTA Player of the Year for the second consecutive year.
2025: Continued Success, Year-End No. 1
In 2025, Aryna Sabalenka defended her Australian Open title and won the US Open the following year, finishing as the year-end No. 1. She defended her title at the US Open, and was the runner-up at the Australian and French Opens, becoming the year-end No. 1 for the second consecutive year.
2025: Brisbane International Title
In 2025, Aryna Sabalenka started the year by winning the Brisbane International, defeating Polina Kudermetova in the final and claiming the 18th singles title of her career.
2025: French Open Major Championship Win for Gauff
In 2025, Gauff overtook Sabalenka for her first French Open Major Championship win and second Grand Slam overall.
2025: Max Mirnyi joins coaching team
In 2025, Max Mirnyi, a Belarusian former professional tennis player and 10-time major doubles champion, joined Aryna Sabalenka's coaching team as a consultant.
2025: 2025 WTA Finals
In 2025, Rybakina defeated Sabalenka in the finals of the WTA Finals 6–3, 7–6(0).
2025: 2025 Rybakina won Cincinnati Open quarterfinals
In 2025, Rybakina won the Cincinnati Open quarterfinals where Sabalenka was the defending champion.
2025: WTA Finals Finals Rematch
In 2025, Sabalenka and Rybakina's faced each other in the WTA Finals, the third time they played each other, with Rybakina winning.
2025: 2025 Wuhan Open quarterfinals
In 2025, Sabalenka defeated Rybakina at the Wuhan Open quarterfinals.
March 3, 2026: Engagement to Georgios Frangulis
On March 3, 2026, Aryna Sabalenka and her boyfriend, Brazilian entrepreneur Georgios Frangulis, got engaged, and shared the moment on their Instagram accounts.
2026: Brisbane International Title Defense
In 2026, Aryna Sabalenka began her season by successfully defending her Brisbane International title, defeating Marta Kostyuk in the final without dropping a set during her run in Brisbane.
2026: 2026 Australian Open final
In 2026, Rybakina won in three sets against Sabalenka at the Australian Open final.
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