After defeating her close friend Paula Badosa in the Australian Open semifinals, Aryna Sabalenka charmed the crowd during her on-court interview by promising to buy Badosa “whatever she wants.” However, in a later conversation with Eurosport, the world No. 1 realized she might need to set some boundaries on her generous offer, given Badosa’s penchant for high-end fashion and luxury goods.
“She loves Loro Piana, Hermès, Cartier—the expensive stuff,” Sabalenka revealed with a laugh. “I think I’ll need to put a limit for her. I know how big the check Stefano’s paying for her. Things can get really crazy.” Stefanos Tsitsipas, Badosa’s boyfriend and tennis superstar, clearly knows a thing or two about keeping up with her lavish tastes.
Sabalenka’s Australian Open run has already been lucrative. As a finalist, she has secured a payday of AUD 1,900,000 (approximately USD 1,191,500). If she clinches her third consecutive Australian Open title, she’ll walk away with an even larger prize of AUD 3,500,000 (around USD 2,195,000).
For her part, Badosa seemed more than happy to take Sabalenka up on the offer. Speaking during her post-match press conference in Melbourne, the Spaniard confirmed her love for luxury, backing up Sabalenka’s claims: “It’s gonna be something really expensive because now I think she doubled the prize money so I think she won’t have a problem for that. I will think about it.”
