Aryna Sabalenka playfully joked about “putting something” in her team’s drinks to knock them out so she could get them tattooed, as she shared her lighthearted post-match plans at the Australian Open. The world No. 1 is aiming for a historic three-peat at Melbourne Park after winning the title in 2023 and 2024 and took a step closer by reaching the semi-final.
Following her tough quarter-final win, Sabalenka revealed her playful wish for her coaches to get tattoos, inspired by Elena Rybakina’s coach who got inked after her Wimbledon victory. “After Elena Rybakina’s coach got a tattoo after her win at Wimbledon, you know what I told my team?” Sabalenka said with a smile. “‘You see guys, this is true love, you know?’ And now they’ve just run away! We’re going to talk about that.”
Sabalenka, who already sports a tiger tattoo on her forearm—a symbol often associated with her—has been pushing for her team to follow suit. Her fitness coach, Jason Stacy, has worn temporary big cat tattoos on his head, but Sabalenka is hoping for something more permanent.
“If I win it,” she teased, “fingers crossed, and we celebrate, I’ll put something in their drinks, put them asleep, and call a tattoo specialist. They’ll wake up with tiger tattoos—how about that?” She quickly added with a laugh, “I’m kidding, just kidding, no.”
The light-hearted exchange ended with interviewer Jelena Dokic humorously agreeing to leave it at that.
To keep her dream of a third consecutive Australian Open title alive, Sabalenka will need to defeat her close friend, Paula Badosa, who is through to her first Grand Slam semi-final. Sabalenka, who leads their head-to-head 5-2, told the crowd, “I cannot wait” for their upcoming match.
