World No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka is set to defend her Australian Open title this year. After knocking out Coco Gauff in the semi-finals, an overwhelmed Sabalenka almost came to tears. Another interesting facet that fans have noticed about her over the years is her body ink. The question ‘What is the tattoo on Aryna Sabalenka’s arm?’ has taken over the Internet besides her gameplay.
Sabalenka will face Zheng Qinwen from China in the Majors finals at 7.30 pm local time (10.30 PM ET on Friday, January 26 in USA and Canada) on Saturday, January 27 at the Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne. The inevitable question ‘What is the tattoo on Aryna Sabalenka’s arm?’ might remain on everyone’s lips by then. Even the keen-eyed viewers of the Netflix series ‘Break Point’ have noticed it. Even as Sabalenka was having a breakdown in the series, eagle-eyed viewers became curious about it.
Sabalenka said in the show that she felt like everyone hated her. But she also believes that she will emerge as a fighter every time. This belief in fighting her way through is what is symbolized by her tattoo. In a tweet by The Tennis Letter, Sabalenka was quoted explaining the significance of her tattoo.
Aryna Sabalenka on the Tiger Tattoo:
“I was born the year of the tiger. I was dating a guy covered in tattoos..I thought a tiger suits me. I’m a fighter. I never give up. I hated it at 1st, so did my parents. My mom didn’t speak to me for a week. She said, ‘What the f*** is this?” pic.twitter.com/tZo316NmHz
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) June 25, 2023
My tattoo is better than yours @SabalenkaA pic.twitter.com/5oC0rfCuXF
— Ons Jabeur (@Ons_Jabeur) August 23, 2021
Perfect for her. She has strength & beauty . Hope to see her go far!
— hera (@bebout_meg43020) June 26, 2023
It does look objectively awful. Weird that she worked so hard on getting in great shape by losing all that weight and now has a huge permanent ink splotch on her arm.
— All Out Of Bubble Gum (@Greg_Tolan) June 25, 2023
Incredible performance by the Belarusian tigress…
— hobowins (@hobowins) January 26, 2024
Aryna Sabalenka’s tattoo. What does it mean? https://t.co/sIgw6UkK3M
— tennis time (@tennistime5) August 16, 2021
@TennisEurosport BIG FAN OF BELARUS PLAYER ARYNA SABALENKA,HER TATTOO ON FOREARM IS A TIGERS https://t.co/vGF6idGkc7 OF UR COMMENTATORS WONDERED WHAT IT WAS.GO THE BELARUS EXPRESS!!!
— Gordon Amstrong (@GordonAmstrong) August 24, 2018
She also saw the funny side of it, as evident by the last line of her quote. Sabalenka was born in 1998, the Chinese Year of the Tiger. Time and again she has spoken about the significance of ‘Tiger’ in her life. Coming from Belarus, which she has to constantly explain everyone is different from Russia, Sabalenka believes that the fighter spirit has always been very active in her. She draws a direct correlation between the fighting spirit to that of a tiger, nature’s fiercest creature.
She believes fellow Belarusian players like Victoria Azarenka and Aliaksandra Sasnovich are all born with this spirit. Sabalenka also believes in Chinese culture and astrology, where the tiger represents ‘Power and Fear’. That is something Sabalenka would want to be emblematic of in her style of play. A tiger person in China earns the most respect, is the subject of great pride, and is touted as having great leadership skills. The tiger is the third animal in the Chinese zodiac.
From curiosity about what tattoo is on Aryna Sabalenka’s arm to her charitable efforts, the World No. 2 became a fan-favorite
More and more people are clear with the question ‘What is the tattoo on Aryna Sabalenka’s arm?’ They are also mystified by her more charitable efforts off the court.
Giving a towel from a tennis player to anyone is a privilege and honor. After Djokovic gave one to Barbara Schett the other day, Sabalenka gave one of hers to player-turned-commentator Jelena Dokic. Dokic then asked Sabalenka to sign it, which she would then auction and donate the money to women and children victims of domestic abuse.
Sabalenka was more than happy to do that, all the while with a smile on her face. A loud cheer from the audience showed love for her. Even the comments on all posts about her online are just pure love and support for her.
A power striker, Sabalenka first garnered attention for her dominant display on the court. Having first reached a Grand Slam semi-final at Wimbledon 2021, she has grown leaps and bounds last year. She won the Australian Open, reached the semi-finals of both the French Open and Wimbledon, and then the finals of the US Open. Can she defend her AO title this year against Zheng?
