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World No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka has a special companion that accompanies her to practice sessions - a tiger soft toy. The Belarusian star recently shared an adorable picture of her accompanying the plush animal during the Canadian Open in Montreal.
Sabalenka is known for her love of tigers as she has two tattoos of the majestic animal on her body. She has a large tiger tattoo on her left arm and another one on her upper left thigh.
The 25-year-old divulged that the tattoos reflect her aggressive attitude and fighting spirit on the court, as well as her birth year of 1998, which is the year of the 'Tiger' in the Chinese zodiac.
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"I think I was 18 years old and my parents didn’t know about this tattoo. And when they saw it the first time my dad was laughing, I don’t know why, but my mom didn’t talk to me for one week," Sabalenka said.
"And then she said like ‘I hope it’s the first and the last one’ and I said ‘look yeah mama it’s the first one and the last one’ and then I turned around I said ‘hopefully,’ but she didn’t hear that,” she added.
Sabalenka further stated that she uses the tiger tattoo on her arm to remind herself to be fierce and competitive for every point.
"It’s special as sometimes I need to remind myself that I am the tigress and I need to fight till the end. I just put it on my arm to make sure I can see it every time and be on fire," Sabalenka said.
Sabalenka posted a picture of her furry friend on Instagram on Saturday, August 5.
The official Omnium Banque Nationale account also shared a clip of her arriving on the court with the toy in her arms. The clip shows her practicing with her friend and fellow player Paula Badosa.
It seems that Sabalenka’s tiger soft toy is not only a cute accessory, but also a source of inspiration and motivation for her. The 25-year-old has been having a stellar season. She won her first Grand Slam at the Australian Open and reached the semifinals at Wimbledon and Roland Garros.
Aryna Sabalenka has a chance to reclaim the World No. 1 ranking from Iga Swiatek if she wins the tournament in Montreal. The Belarusian will also be one of the favorites to win the US Open later this month.
"I'll keep pushing myself and do everything I can to finish this year as world No. 1" - Aryna Sabalenka
Following her defeat in the Wimbledon semifinals, Aryna Sabalenka expressed her goal of becoming the World No. 1 by the end of the year.
Sabalenka was beaten by Ons Jabeur, who reached the final with a scoreline of 6-7 (5), 6-4, 6-3.
The match held significant importance for Sabalenka as she not only aimed for her second Grand Slam final appearance but also aspired to claim the World No. 1 ranking currently held by Iga Swiatek.
Expressing her aspirations, Aryna Sabalenka declared her intention to conclude the year atop the rankings.
“For me it's more about how you finish the year than during the year you're first, second, you just go back and forth. 'I'll keep pushing myself and do everything I can to finish this year as world No. 1,” she said.
