There is nothing quite like arriving to a Grand Slam in 200 carats of precious stones and then going out and winning anyway. On Tuesday, World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka walked onto the Parisian clay wearing over 200 carats of garnets and 23 carats of diamonds, played through a heat wave, and dispatched Jessica Bouzas Maneiro 6-4, 6-2 like it was nothing.
The jewelry, created by sponsor Material Good and inspired by the red clay courts of Roland Garros, was the kind of statement that stops people mid-scroll. A stack of three necklaces and a matching earring set, though Sabalenka opted for just two of the necklaces on court. When asked about the weight of it all, she was characteristically unbothered. “I don’t really feel the heaviness of it, but I can imagine how it looks from the outside,” she said. “I feel pretty comfortable.”
The rest of the look was equally considered. Sabalenka previewed her Nike fit on social media ahead of the match, a layered ensemble featuring breathable black mesh over a red performance dress, with pops of red along the neckline and on her nails. That she chose to wear black in the middle of a Parisian heat wave was, by her own admission, an act of pure self-challenge. “I don’t like to take it easy,” she laughed. “I like to challenge myself.” Remarkably, the dress held up its end of the bargain. “The dress is super light, like, I don’t feel the dress on me,” she said. “I was thinking it’s going to be super hot wearing black, but it doesn’t feel like black color on me.”
The philosophy running beneath all of it is one Sabalenka has never been shy about. “For me, it’s important to look good,” she said. “If I feel good looking-wise, I perform better and I feel great.” Last year’s finalist is leaning hard into that belief in Paris, arriving under genuine pressure after a quarterfinal loss to Hailey Baptiste in Madrid and an early exit in Rome at the hands of Sorana Cirstea. Her world No. 1 ranking is no longer the sure thing it once felt like. But Sabalenka, characteristically, is not dwelling on any of that.
She is, however, taking her security detail very seriously. Traveling through Paris with a collection of fine jewelry requires certain precautions, and Sabalenka has assembled what can only be described as an elite support system. “I have my fiancé! He’s like kind of like my security,” she laughed. “I have my team. I have Jason and my physio who does Jujitsu, so I feel pretty secure walking around.”
Next up she faces French player Elsa Jacquemot in the second round. The diamonds, presumably, will be making the trip too.
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