“Nike is helping me feel special and unique” – Just a few days ago, the World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka opened up about the ‘Tiger’ logo in her Nike sneakers. Sabalenka has been involved with Nike for a long time. In fact, she has an exclusive head-to-toe deal for all of her apparel with this renowned sports brand. The Belarusian recently also featured in Nike’s legendary tribute to ten female athletes from different sports and that’s no small feat. She has come a long way, but who has been the pillar of support for Sabalenka over the years, urging her to never give up on her dreams?

Aryna Sabalenka’s father passed away shockingly in 2019 and ever since, her mother Yulia has looked after her, providing her the love and care she needs to stay focused on her goals all the time. After Sabalenka successfully defended her Australian Open title last year, beating Qinwen Zheng in straight sets by 6-3, 6-2, her mother showed off her priciest possessions in an IG post with the caption, “Twins 👯‍♀️ 🏆🏆 I want at least triplets!!! And we need to diversify the collection somehow 🤞🤞🤞.“And guess what? Sabalenka managed to fulfill her mother’s wish in NY. She diversified her collections with the 2024 US Open title.

After clinching her first US Open title, the 26-year-old dedicated her win to her family, stating, “After I lost my father, it has always been my goal to put our family name in the history of tennis. Every time I see my name on that trophy, I’m so proud of myself, I’m proud of my family that they never gave up on my dream and that they were doing everything they could to keep me going.”

Given her accomplishments over the last 12 to 18 months, it wasn’t a surprise that Sabalenka was featured on Nike’s ‘Just Do It’ tee alongside the likes of Caitlin Clark, Jordan Chiles, Alexia Putellas, Paige Bueckers, Sabrina Ionescu, Juju Watkins, Sophia Smith, A’ja Wilson and Sha’Carri Richardson. The Belarusian was, quite naturally, ecstatic about it.

Sabalenka shared a picture of a black Nike T-shirt on her IG stories which featured herself right at the top along with these sporting greats. She captioned that post with, “Proud of Mother 🙏“. She further added, “Dreams come true ❤️ #NikeFamily.” However, this wasn’t the first time Nike celebrated Aryna Sabalenka’s incredible contributions to the world of sports. Just before the 2025 AO, they unveiled a creative tribute to her explosive style of play.

In a video clip published by the renowned sports apparel brand, Sabalenka could be seen taking center stage in a room filled with shattered debris. That 40-second commercial had a message that said, “The following is a test. Do not attempt to recreate the power of Aryna Sabalenka at home…Good luck returning that.” Not only that, even during Super Bowl LIX, Nike aired its new anthem, “So Win,” starring superstar female athletes, including Sabalenka, in the prime-time slot.

Interestingly, in that video clip, we saw a glimpse of Sabalenka’s furious meltdown at the AO when she threw her racquet after her heartbreaking loss in the final. What really led to that epic moment in Melbourne?

Aryna Sabalenka spilled the beans on her angry outburst after the devastating AO final loss

Sabalenka was on the verge of becoming only the sixth woman and the first since Martina Hingis (1999) to win the AO title for the third consecutive year. However, America’s Madison Keys had other plans! She defeated the Belarusian star in the final by 6-3,2-6,7-5. Frustration was quite evident on Sabalenka’s face when she went to shake hands with Keys at the end of the match. And thereafter, she smashed her racket against the ground.

Reflecting on that angry outburst, Sabalenka later said, “There definitely was a bit of frustration because I was so close to achieve something crazy. When you’re out there, you’re fighting, but it seems like everything going not the way you really want to go. I just needed to throw those negative emotions at the end just so I could give a speech, not stand there being disrespectful. I was just trying to let it go and be a good person, be respectful.“ 

Ever since that defeat in the final, Aryna Sabalenka has failed to make her presence felt in the following tournaments. She made early exits in both Doha and Dubai. What could be the probable reason behind this slump? During a recent interview, Sabalenka admitted that she hasn’t been doing well in the Middle East in the last couple of years. She said, “Even health-wise I’m struggling. Australia always taking a lot of energy out of me. I believe that I’m not that hungry on the court. I’m kind of like all over the place in my thoughts and not consistent.” She’s not happy with her decision-making on the court and admits she’s not at her best.

Perhaps, this is the time when she needs a little bit of motivation from somewhere to remind herself of her capabilities, and the tribute from Nike might just help her find that. Do you think Sabalenka can bounce back strongly moving forward in the season?