Aryna Sabalenka and her hunky boyfriend Georgios Frangulis get VERY affectionate on Australian Open court after she sparked engagement rumours
Aryna Sabalenka has been photographed sharing some tender moments with her boyfriend Georgios Frangulis on court in Melbourne as she looks to win her third consecutive Australian Open.
The world number 1 and her superfood entrepreneur partner shared a kiss and appeared smitten as the star had a practice session at Melbourne Park on Tuesday – shortly after she sparked speculation they are engaged with an Instagram post.
Sabalenka treated her followers to a series of photos of her and Frangulis, one of which shows a photo of her wearing a gold ring with a huge gemstone on the ring finger of her left hand.
Many of her fans jumped to the conclusion that her husband had popped the question, but Sabalenka responded to one question by writing, “No guys, it’s just a nice ring, we’re not engaged.”
The 26-year-old went public with the romance in May last year, sharing a photo of them together after falling to Iga Swiatek at the Italian Open.
That came two months after her ex-boyfriend, Belarusian ice hockey star Konstantin Koltsov, died after jumping from a Miami hotel balcony in a tragedy that left the tennis star shattered.
Love-all: Aryna Sabalenka and her boyfriend Georgios Frangulis looked smitten as they practiced in Melbourne on Tuesday
The world number 1 announced her romance with the Brazilian entrepreneur last May
Sabalenka will aim to win three women’s singles titles in three years when the first Grand Slam of 2025 begins on Sunday
In July, Sabalenka described Frangulis as the ‘love of my life’ as the couple enjoyed a holiday after an injury forced her to withdraw from Wimbledon.
Born in Brazil, Frangulis is the founder of superfood brand Oakberry, which sponsored the Haas F1 team and partnered with Sabalenka after the romance began, creating her own acai bowl for the brand.
He studied law before becoming an entrepreneur and has a strong interest in motorsport. He has completed 128 races in the Brazilian Porsche 911 GT3 Cup competition.
Frangulis often posts touching messages to his partner on Instagram, writing: ‘I’m in love with the Queen of New York’ as the pair were photographed together after winning the US Open at Flushing Meadows last year.
When Sabalenka captioned a recent post in which she co-wrote, “Tis the season for photos of crazy couples, good outfits and good food,” he responded with “Always crazy, never boring, te amo,” using the Portuguese term for ‘I love you’. ‘.
Koltsov and Sabalenka were together for three years before his death and the Grand Slam champion later opened up about how she dealt with his death.
“I once lost my father and tennis helped me cope with that heavy loss,” she said.
This photo of Sabalenka wearing a ring with a huge gemstone on her left ring finger made many of her fans think she was engaged to Frangulis
The loved-up couple are pictured kissing during a holiday in Rome last year
“So at that moment [of Koltsov’s death] I thought I just had to keep going, keep playing, keep doing my thing to separate my personal life from my career.
“But at the end of the day, I would say I had a lot of problems health-wise because I didn’t stop. It was very emotional and very stressful, and it really damaged my mental health at the time.”
Sabalenka recently referenced that struggle when discussing what she wants to be known for.
“My dream is to inspire people, to be a fighter and to be an example of not giving up and going through whatever life throws at me,” she shared. Harper’s Bazaar Australia.
“If someone can look at me and think, she did it, and she was strong, and I just have to do the same thing and I can get through it, then I’ll be very happy.
‘I would like to inspire people to be strong and never give up.’
The reigning singles champion is a heavy favorite to win three titles in three years in Melbourne, paying $3.25 with one of Australia’s biggest bookmakers, followed by American Coco Gauff at $5.
Sabalenka sent a message to her rivals when she came back from a set down to win the Brisbane International final against Polina Kudermetova last Saturday.
Iga Swiatek is in danger of becoming one of the rivals that could derail her campaign to win the first Grand Slam of the season.
“I like the way we push each other,” she said of Swiatek.
‘It’s not that I think about her, about her number of grand slams. I’m just trying to push myself and see how far I can go.
‘At the end of my career I want to look back and be proud of myself.’