Aryna Sabalenka has made a habit of making herself stand out. The four-time Grand Slam champion and world number one is among a growing group of stars who take to the court sporting designer jewellery. At the Australian Open, she wore a pendant necklace with a 4.3 carat sapphire and matching dangling diamond and sapphire earrings as the face of New York designer Material Good. She will sport their bling for all remaining tournaments and Grand Slams this year.
French Open Sparkle
Now the Belarusian star will sparkle once more when she steps out on to Court Philippe Chatrier for her first-round match against Jessica Bouzas at the French Open on Tuesday. Sabalenka, the 2025 Roland Garros finalist, will sport a set of up to three diamond and garnet necklaces with matching earrings, made up of up to 24.17 carat diamonds and 218 carat garnets, worth more than £100,000.
‘Obsessed is an understatement and I can’t wait to wear these beauties on the court,’ said Sabalenka.
The 28-year-old has been practising with two of the three stunning necklaces, set into 18 carat white gold, but can sport a third if she wants to don the full set. She will pair the top necklace, made up of 4.75ct of diamonds and 49.16ct of garnets, worth $36,500 (£27,000), alongside a middle one consisting of 9.18ct diamonds and 72.96ct of garnets, worth $53,000 (£39,250). Sabalenka has the option to add a third necklace with 8.58ct of diamonds and 81.64ct of garnets worth $46,000 (£34,000). She will also sport matching 18ct white gold earrings, with 1.66ct of diamonds and 14.35ct of garnets, worth $12,500 (£9,250).
Inspiration from the Clay
‘Heavily inspired by the distinctive red clay courts of the storied Stade Roland Garros, garnets - with their unmistakable shades of red and saturated rusty undertones - serve as the defining element of Aryna’s French Open 2026 jewellery look,’ said a Material Good spokesperson.
Media Protest and Prize Money
Sabalenka cut short her press conference ahead of the tournament as part of a media protest where top stars restricted their press commitments to just 15 minutes as part of a demand to earn more in prize money than just the 15 per cent of revenue earned at the French Open. ‘As the world number one, I have to stand up and fight for lower-level players,’ said Sabalenka. ‘It's not about me, it's about the players lower in the rankings who are suffering.’
Controversial Outfit and Political Tensions
Sabalenka is also set to make a statement with her see-through fiery red Nike ‘super suit’ at Roland Garros. When she posted her outfit on Instagram, she did so with the classic line from Disney film The Incredibles asking: ‘where is my super suit?’ However, she won’t be the first player to wear it. Oksana Selekhmeteva, the world number 88, wore it for her opening-round defeat to Marta Kostyuk. Ukrainian Kostyuk refused to shake hands with Selekhmeteva, who switched allegiance from Russia to Spain last week, before revealing a Russian missile had narrowly missed her parent’s house in the latest attack on Kyiv. ‘If it was 100m closer, I probably wouldn’t have a mum and sister today,’ said Kostyuk.
Jewellery Breakdown
- Top necklace: 4.75ct diamonds and 49.16ct garnets, worth $36,500 (£27,000)
- Middle necklace: 9.18ct diamonds and 72.96ct garnets, worth $53,000 (£39,250)
- Bottom necklace: 8.58ct diamonds and 81.64ct garnets, worth $46,000 (£34,000)
- Terre Rouge Cushion Garnet And Diamond Stud Earrings: diamonds 1.66ct, garnets 14.35ct, worth $12,500 (£9,250)
- Terre Rouge Marquise Garnet and Diamond Stud Earrings: diamonds 1.05ct, garnets 5.92ct, worth $12,500 (£9,250)
