World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka believes her facial features, which she describes as 'Slavic,' often lead people to perceive her as unfriendly or a "bitch." This perception, she says, is something she was "born with."
Sabalenka, who is preparing to compete for her first Wimbledon title, stated that even her closest friends on the tour initially found her intimidating. She recounted a conversation with fellow player Paula Badosa, where both admitted to initially thinking the other was a "bitch" before getting to know each other.
"When you see me for the first time, you're probably going to think I'm a bitch because of my Slavic face," Sabalenka told The Guardian. "It doesn't help with that [perception]. When I'm walking with this flat face and no emotions, I can look very aggressive."
Despite her on-court intensity, Sabalenka's off-court demeanor is characterized by fun, dancing, and laughter. She explained that her on-court emotional expressions, such as yelling or throwing a racket, are a necessary outlet to manage her feelings and maintain her competitive drive.
"It's something that we spoke about with my team; that whenever I feel like I'm holding too much, just throw the racket, yell something, let it go," she said. "Everyone says you have to be in control, you have to be flat with your emotions, don’t show anything. And I found it was destroying me from the inside."
Sabalenka, along with men's world No. 1 Jannik Sinner, has also been involved in player protests at Wimbledon advocating for increased prize money. The players have limited their media appearances to 15 minutes, a move also seen at the French Open. They argue that while Wimbledon increased prize money by 20%, this still falls short of the 16% of total tournament revenue they are seeking, compared to the current approximately 14%.
"We do it for the tour, we don't do it for ourselves," Sabalenka stated. "We do it for the rest of the players who are suffering to even hire a coach. It's not an easy life for lower-ranked players." The 28-year-old is aiming to add the Wimbledon crown to her Australian and U.S. Open titles when the tournament begins Sunday, local time.
