The First Gen Z No. 1: Aryna Sabalenka is taking over the world, one TikTok at a time

MELBOURNE, Australia—Aryna Sabalenka is not the first Gen Z No. 1, numerically speaking.

But culturally, the top-ranked 28-year-old embodies the best of generation. She’s open, extroverted, and is as accurate with her phone as her forehand.

“I'm just being me, you know?” she told me after reaching the Australian Open quarterfinals on Sunday.

Sabalenka’s personal brand has taken off in a major way to start 2026, the four-time Grand Slam champion announcing partnerships with Gucci, Emirates Airlines, and jewelry designer Material Good—all of which compliment her bold, powerful aesthetic.

Her press conferences have become performances, the top seed theatrically donning sunglasses to tease future on-court Gucci collabs.

I knew that I would never change. Doesn't matter my ranking position, whatever I reach in life, I'll always be myself. Aryna Sabalenka

“It's a perfect time to bring fashion on court,” declared Sabalenka in a call back to Andre Agassi’s “Image is Everything.”

But for her friends on tour, she’s still the same Aryna choreographing TikToks in the player’s lounge. At the 2024 WTA Finals, she acted as a rogue social media coordinator, organizing her fellow Top 8 players for a series of videos. Not a bad offer from a player who boasts over a million followers on the platform.

“I appreciate that she didn't change because you never know sometimes,” Paula Badosa told me earlier this week. “It's nice that we can enjoy on and off court. We have fun. We had fun also in pre-season some days. It's nice we can share moments.”

“I think also because I went through a lot of challenges,” echoed Sabalenka. “It wasn't, like, easy to achieve that stuff. I think that's why I was able to keep myself.”

The uniquely intense mix of stress, attention, and pressure that a world No. 1 faces can encourage a state of distrustful solitude, but Sabalenka’s irrepressible energy extends far beyond her inner circle.

Amanda Anisimova was watching Sabalenka and Badosa—“Sabadosa” for short—film a TikTok as they prepared to play doubles at the Brisbane International when they asked the American to join in.

“They're able to maintain a fun environment when we're outside of match play, when we're able to practice, and just be around each other,” Anisimova told me after her first-round win over Simona Waltert.

“I love the fact that [Aryna’s] at the top and she's ranked No. 1, and obviously she maintains a very professional attitude. But then at the same time, she showcases that you're allowed to have fun and be goofy off of the court. I feel like she's breaking some boundaries, I guess, in that aspect of being able to have a good balance. I love that.”

Sabalenka often stresses the importance of inspiring the next generation, and that work is already manifesting in teenager Mirra Andreeva. An outgoing character herself, Andreeva sees in Sabalenka a role model as much as a rival.

“I would be honest, I do kind of like to watch her stories,” Andreeva admitted after defeating Maria Sakkari in the second round. “It's pretty interesting. She does a good job of keeping kind of the mood in the social media of, like, being funny and doing a lot of activities with the fans, just keeping the fans in touch when she's not playing tournaments. Yeah, I think it's great.”

From Sabalenka back to Serena Williams, once can trace a decade of introverted world No. 1s, players who reserve their energy for where it matters most and often found it took a competitive environment to unlock a more heightened persona.

“I feel like when I step on the court, I'm not the me that you're talking to right now,” explained Naomi Osaka, a former No. 1 stole the show in the first week with her high-flying designer threads. “I would never yell ‘C'mon’ that loud in, like, a normal setting. I almost feel like I'm a Barbie that dresses up and goes on the court and does something. When I come back in the locker room is when I'm like my true quiet Naomi.”

She's ranked No. 1, and obviously she maintains a very professional attitude. But then at the same time, she showcases that you're allowed to have fun and be goofy off of the court. I feel like she's breaking some boundaries... Amanda Anisimova on Aryna Sabalenka

Playing her first major tournament in over a year, former No. 1 Karolina Pliskova is by no means shy, but nonetheless marvels at Sabalenka’s relentless magnetism.

“I’m very different from this,” Pliskova told me. “I don’t share too much and I don’t like to be online all the time. Ok, she’s like this, so I don’t want to say if it’s bad or not. She’s popular because of that. She’s open, she shares a lot of things, she’s dancing. I think people like that. Now is the time when, the more you post, the more popular you are.

“Plus, she has amazing results, so it’s not just social media. It’s a combination. I think she’s a great athlete and she’s proving that she’s not only on social media and pretty, but she’s also playing well. She’s one of the biggest stars in tennis.”

With that stardom comes criticism. She set off a media firestorm when her frustration at losing last spring’s Roland Garros final was perceived as poor sportsmanship towards the victorious Coco Gauff. Sabalenka made a public apology and the two worked it out on the remix, filming a pair of TikToks together ahead of the Wimbledon Championships a month later.

“We would do a TikTok anyway,” the equally online Gauff said at the time. “I think that was just more so to kind of show people that we are on good terms.”

Still tougher criticism focuses on the question of whether a world WTA No. 1 should be activist as much as ambassador. Though she has played without a flag since her country’s invasion into Ukraine and issued a condemnation of President Alexander Lukashenko at 2023 Roland Garros, Sabalenka still nominally represents Belarus and continues to field questions about their complicity in the ongoing conflict.

“I've been clear before that I'm pro peace,” said Sabalenka when told Ukrainian player Oleksandra Oliynykova spoke out against Gucci’s decision to partner with a Belarusian athlete. “Nothing hasn't changed. That's all I can say about that.”

Into the quarterfinals of a 13th straight major tournament and unbeaten to start the year, Sabalenka would be expected to get more serious as she closes in on a third title in Melbourne. But for the girl with the tiger tattoo, business as usual is more TikToks and pranks on her team. It is that sense of fun that keeps the world No. 1 clutch—on the court and off.

“I knew that I would, like, never change,” she told me. “Doesn't matter my ranking position, whatever I reach in life, I'll always be myself.”