With Aryna Sabalenka recently securing her second consecutive Australian Open crown, the World No2 is no stranger to the sweet taste of success. It should come as little surprise then that she has developed somewhat of a sweet tooth too, as demonstrated during a shopping spree at Dubai International Airport to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Dubai Duty Free.
Arriving in the Emirate to compete in this week’s WTA 1000 event at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, Sabalenka was presented with a complementary shopping voucher for Terminal 3. And the big-hitting Belarusian wasted no time heading straight for the candy section, demonstrating a love of chocolate.
The 25-year-old then headed to the makeup section to sample some of the world’s top brands on offer. It was evident that Sabalenka’s pre-tournament preparations were not limited to helping her shine on-court as she scrolled down her phone to view the shopping list she had compiled the night before.
Seeded No2 for this week’s 24th edition of Dubai’s women’s tournament, Sabalenka also took a moment to admire a display camel before grabbing her trolley and securing the gifts of her choice – and enjoying plenty of japes along the way.
“It was great fun,” said Salenka, who reached the quarterfinals of last year’s Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships. “The only bad thing was that my team stole all my sweets! But overall, I loved the experience.”
Sabalenka will start her campaign in the second round after the top eight seeds received byes during Saturday’s 56-player draw.