"I want at least triplets!!! And we need to diversify somehow" - Aryna Sabalenka's mother Juliya pokes fun at Belarusian's Australian Open collection
Aryna Sabalenka's mother Juliya has poked fun at her daughter's Australian Open trophies.
Sabalenka became a Grand Slam champion for the second time in January after clinching the 2024 Australian Open. It also marked her second successive Australian Open title.
The 25-year-old powered her way through the draw in spectacular fashion. She barely broke a sweat to reach the semifinals as she dismantled Ella Seidel, Brenda Fruhvirtova, Lesia Tsurenko, Amanda Anisimova and Barbora Krejcikova. In the semifinals, Sabalenka got the chance to avenge her 2023 US Open final loss as she squared off against Coco Gauff.
While the fourth-seeded Gauff certainly gave a good account of herself and gave Sabalenka problems to deal with, it wasn't enough in the end. The 25-year-old won 7-6(2), 6-4 to set up a final showdown against Qinwen Zheng. In the final, Zheng was no match as Sabalenka used her powerful style of play to devastating effect. The World No. 2 defended her Australian Open crown successfully after a 6-3, 6-2 win.
Sabalenka's mother Juliya got the opportunity to treat her eyes to the Grand Slam silverware her daughter has accumulated so far. She also took the opportunity to poke fun at her daughter's prized collection.
"Twins (referring to Sabalenka's 2 Australian Open trophies). I want at least triplets!!! And we need to diversify the collection somehow," wrote Juliya on her Instagram account.
Aryna Sabalenka's parents were the pillars of support for her unmistakeable fighting spirit
Sabalenka's love affair with tennis started as a matter of coincidence. One day during her childhood, Sabalenka's father Sergey, a professional ice hockey player, took her on a drive through Minsk, the capital of Belarus. At one point, Sabalenka spotted the city's tennis courts in the distance, and she was immediately fascinated.
Seeing her fascination with the sport, her parents wasted no time in putting a racket in her hands. They also gave her the backing she needed to become the competitive fighter that the world of tennis has grown accustomed to.
In an interview with Vogue following her 2024 Australian Open success, Sabalenka opened up about the role her parents played in shaping her steely resolve.
"My parents were always getting crazy because I was breaking the racket. But the only thing they would say is they would never be p*%sed at me if you give it your all and you fight for every point," Sabalenka said.
By winning the 2024 Australian Open, Sabalenka also fulfilled her late father's dream of his daughter winning two Grand Slam titles before she turned 25 years old.