Who are Aryna Sabalenka’s parents? Meet Sergey and Yulia Sabalenka, the family behind the tennis star
Who are Aryna Sabalenka’s parents? Meet Sergey and Yulia Sabalenka, the family behind the tennis star Aryna Sabalenka has often said that every major title means much more than another trophy. Behind her success is the support of her parents, Sergey Sabalenka and Yulia Sabalenka, who helped shape her journey from childhood. After Sergey died from meningitis in 2019 at the age of 43, the Belarusian star turned that personal loss into motivation. Speaking after winning her third Grand Slam title in 2024, Sabalenka said her biggest goal is to make her family name part of tennis history, a promise she continues to carry onto the court.
How Sergey Sabalenka helped Aryna Sabalenka become a tennis champion
Sergey Sabalenka was a Belarusian ice hockey player before introducing his daughter to tennis. Aryna has shared that she first picked up a racket after the two happened to drive past a tennis court when she was a child. What began as a fun activity eventually became the start of her professional career.After winning her third Grand Slam title in September 2024, Sabalenka spoke about the promise she made after losing her father.“After I lost my father, it’s 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.”She has also spoken about the qualities she inherited from him. In an interview with Flaunt Magazine, Sabalenka said she admired his positive nature from a young age.“I think I was seven or nine. We had just had a party in the house, and I looked up at him, and he was so funny. So happy. People loved him.”She added:“I looked to him thinking, ‘I hope when I grow up I’ll have this personality.’ He was always focusing on the positive things rather than the negative.”Sergey died in 2019 when Sabalenka was 21. She later revealed that the grief affected her game so deeply that she struggled with her serve for nearly a year before working with a psychologist and a biomechanical coach. She also told SELF:“The way he raised me, he always told me that you have to fight. You have to work hard.”
Yulia Sabalenka, younger sister Tonechka and the family behind Aryna Sabalenka
Aryna Sabalenka was born on May 5, 1998. Her younger sister, Tonechka Sabalenka, was born 11 years later. The world No. 1 has often said she wants to be someone her sister can look up to.In her interview with Flaunt Magazine, she said:“There were some times when I wanted to give up, but I was just thinking, I cannot quit. I want them to be proud of me, to bring some positivity into their lives because they get happy when I win. And I want it to be a great example for my sister; she’s 11 years younger. I want her to see a good example [in me] just like I saw in my father.”Sabalenka has also described herself as the fun older sister who is always ready to support Tonechka whenever she needs advice.Her mother, Yulia Sabalenka, has shared plenty of proud moments too. After Aryna won back-to-back Australian Open titles, Yulia jokingly told her the identical trophies looked “boring” sitting together and suggested she start collecting different Grand Slam trophies instead. Aryna laughed about the comment, saying her mother could have simply appreciated the two she had already worked so hard to win.
