600 days after becoming World No. 1, Aryna Sabalenka gets first custom gear launch with Nike

Nike launched its first-ever custom gear for World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka. This long-awaited moment was significant for both her fans and herself, as after 600 days of holding the coveted ranking, she received this honour from the sports giant.

Sabalenka first reached the top of the WTA rankings in September 2023, and since then, she has won seven more titles, including two Grand Slams and three WTA 1000. She has consistently performed at the highest level and retained her top spot for nearly two years.

The Belarusian has been a Nike athlete for years and previously had never received any custom gear, a privilege typically reserved for top-tier athletes. However, that has changed, as Nike has now released its first custom gear for Aryna Sabalenka.

Here’s a glimpse of her first custom gear:

The T-shirt features Sabalenka striking a victory pose with her arms raised in the air against a black, grayscale backdrop. At the centre, a roaring tiger references her iconic forearm tattoo. Nike’s symbolic swoosh is subtly placed at the base of the T-shirt.

Sabalenka had even featured in a graphic t-shirt launched by Nike, which paid tribute to 10 female athletes across different sports.

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Aryna Sabalenka featured in Nike’s t-shirt honoring their top 10 female athletes

Aryna Sabalenka posing with her Mutua Madrid Open title trophy - Source: Getty

In February, Nike released a special T-shirt featuring 10 female athletes. The T-shirt paid tribute to these star athletes who have achieved immense success in their respective disciplines. Aryna Sabalenka was one of them. She has been Nike’s top-performing athlete for years, which is why she was included in the T-shirt.

The T-shirt was accompanied by Nike’s iconic slogan, ‘Just do it,’ along with images of the 10 athletes.

The other athletes featured alongside Sabalenka included gymnast Jordan Chiles, basketball players Caitlin Clark, A’ja Wilson, Paige Bueckers, Sabrina Ionescu, and Juju Watkins, soccer players Alexia Putellas and Sophia Smith, and sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson.

On Wednesday, the 27-year-old crashed out of the Italian Open, defeated by Zheng Qinwen in the quarterfinals in straight sets. This marked the first victory for the Chinese player against the World No. 1 in their seven meetings.

Sabalenka appeared off-colour with her serves not meeting the usual standards. In contrast, the eighth seed achieved a first serve win percentage of 82 percent, allowing her to push the Belarusian into the corners and take advantage of the open court.

The three-time Grand Slam champion will move on to Paris for the French Open, which begins on May 25.