From "Misunderstood Tornado" to Global Idol: Aryna Sabalenka's Unexpected Turn

Long perceived as a brute force in tennis, Aryna Sabalenka overturned all expectations by inviting the entire world into the behind-the-scenes of her life.

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Arthur Millot

le 24/11/2025 à 08h31

1 min to read

Sabalenka

For years, Sabalenka didn't leave many people indifferent: screams on every shot, visible anger, internal tensions.

The first impressions, often brutal, created a distance from a player seen more as an uncontrollable volcano than as a likable star.

Fans struggled to identify with her. And Sabalenka knew it. But everything changed when she decided to open the door to her world.

On TikTok and Instagram, she began to expose herself but not like others. Dance, humor, simplicity, moments of doubt: Sabalenka didn't give a polished version of herself. A rare transparency that changed the public's perception.

Where other athletes post out of obligation, Sabalenka enjoys doing it.

Today, she has over 5 million followers (including Instagram and TikTok) who follow her training, vacations, and intimate moments with her partner, Brazilian businessman Georgios Frangulis.

This new closeness completely rewrote her relationship with the public.
"I wanted to be connected to people. I wanted to have their support. So I felt the need to share myself. I feel like an open book. People literally know everything about me."

In other words: she became what she had always wanted to be in the eyes of the public but never knew how to show it.