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Aryna Sabalenka
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NEED TO KNOW
- Aryna Sabalenka sparkled on the court at the French Open
- The world No. 1 player wore two necklaces that totaled hundreds of carats of diamonds and garnets
- Sabalenka answered to criticism about wearing the accessories, weeks after asking for more prize money
When you look good, you play good — at least according to world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka.
The 28-year-old tennis star is hitting back after she sparked criticism for wearing two sparkly diamond-and-garnet necklaces during her first-round win at the French Open on Tuesday, May 26.
“Diamonds, I don’t really feel the heaviness, but I can imagine how it looks from the outside,” Sabalenka told reporters. “So I feel pretty comfortable. For me, it’s important to look good.”
The Belarusian athlete did just that on the court Tuesday, when she defeated Spain's Jessica Bouzas Maneiro in straight sets, 6-4, 6-2.
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But after the match, a reporter asked if it was “hypocritical” for her to sport such a pricey look, weeks after she and other players asked the tournament for more prize money.
“I don’t really see how it can be possible to cross these two completely different worlds,” Sabalenka said. “And as I said before, prize money, it’s not like it’s about me at all.”
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Aryna Sabalenka
Credit: Antonio Borga/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty
She continued, “It’s just fighting for players, lower ranked players who are really struggling to survive in this tennis world. It has nothing to do with me that I’m fighting for the prize money. Everyone knows that I’m okay.”
On Monday, May 4, Sabalenka, along with defending French Open champion Coco Gauff, released a statement regarding how Roland-Garros would be paying players less than 15% of the tournament's revenue. The tennis stars said their share of the tournament revenue had decreased from 15.5% in 2024 to a projected 14.9% in 2026.
The newly engaged Sabalenka is known to wear her 12-carat engagement ring when she plays.
"It feels pretty comfy," she said of the ring in March. "It feels shiny. I hope that my opponent will get distracted by this diamond and it's going to benefit me.”
As for the necklaces, which are made by New York-based Material Good, the three strands total 200 carats of garnets and 23 carats of diamonds.
“I don’t like to take it easy, I like to challenge myself,” Sabalenka laughed, regarding her decision to wear black on a 90-degree day in Paris. “Actually there’s supposed to be a third necklace, but I was like ‘Okay, kinda would be too much probably,’ so I decided to keep it to just two. If I feel good, looking-wise I perform better, and I feel great.”
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