Aryna Sabalenka has been photographed sharing some tender moments with her boyfriend Georgios Frangulis on court in Melbourne as she aims to win her third consecutive Australian Open.
The world number one and her superfood entrepreneur partner shared a kiss and looked loved-up as the star had a practice session at Melbourne Park on Tuesday, shortly after she sparked speculation they were engaged with an Instagram post.
Sabalenka treated her followers to a series of photos of her and Frangulis, one of which featured a photo of her wearing a gold ring with a huge gemstone on the ring finger of her left hand.
Many of her fans concluded that her man had popped the question, but Sabalenka responded to one by writing: “No guys, it’s just a beautiful ring, we’re not engaged.”
The 26-year-old went public with their romance in May last year, sharing a photo of them together after losing to Iga Swiatek at the Italian Open.
That came two months after her ex-boyfriend, Belarusian ice hockey star Konstantin Koltsov, died after jumping from a hotel balcony in Miami in a tragedy that left the tennis star devastated.
Love to all: Aryna Sabalenka and her boyfriend Georgios Frangulis looked loved up while practicing in Melbourne on Tuesday.
The world number one made public her romance with the Brazilian businessman last May
Sabalenka will be looking to claim three women’s singles crowns in three years when the first Grand Slam of 2025 begins on Sunday.
In July, Sabalenka described Frangulis as the “love of my life” as the couple enjoyed a holiday after an injury forced her to withdraw from Wimbledon.
Born in Brazil, Frangulis is the founder of superfood brand Oakberry, which sponsored the Haas F1 team and partnered with Sabalenka after the romance began, creating her own acai bowl for the brand.
He studied law before becoming an entrepreneur and has a keen interest in motorsport, having participated in 128 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup races in Brazil.
Frangulis often posts touching messages to his partner on Instagram, writing “I’m in love with the queen of New York” when the pair were photographed together after she won last year’s US Open in Flushing Meadows.
When Sabalenka captioned a recent post showing them together with “Tis the season for silly couple photos, good outfits and good food,” she responded: “Always silly, never boring, I love you,” using the Portuguese term for “I love you.” . ‘.
Koltsov and Sabalenka were together for three years before his death and the Grand Slam champion later spoke about how she dealt with his passing.
“I once lost my father and tennis helped me get over that hard loss,” he said.
This photo of Sabalenka wearing a ring with a huge gemstone on her left ring finger led many of her fans to believe that she was engaged to Frangulis.
The loved-up couple were pictured kissing on holiday in Rome last year.
“So at that moment (of Koltsov’s death) I thought I had to move on, keep playing, keep doing my thing to separate my personal life from my professional life.
‘But in the end I would say that I had a lot of health problems because I didn’t stop. “It was very emotional and stressful, and it kind of damaged my mental health at the time.”
Sabalenka referenced those struggles recently when talking about what she wants to be known for.
“My dream is to inspire people, be a fighter and be an example of not giving up and facing whatever life throws at me,” she said. Harper’s Bazaar Australia.
“If someone can look at me and think, she did it and she was strong, and I have to do the same and I can get through it, I’ll be very happy.”
“I would love to inspire people to be strong and never give up.”
The current singles champion is a big favorite to win three titles in three years in Melbourne, paying $3.25 at one of Australia’s largest bookmakers, followed by the American Coco Gauff, with $5.
Sabalenka sent a message to her rivals when she came back from a set down to take the Brisbane International final against Polina Kudermetova last Saturday.
Iga Swiatek is emerging as one of the rivals who can derail her campaign to win the first Grand Slam of the season.
“I love the way we push each other,” he said of Swiatek.
‘It’s not that I’m thinking about her, about her number of grand slams. I’m just trying to push myself to the limit and see how far I can go.
“At the end of my career I want to look back and be proud of myself.”