Aryna Sabalenka arrived for her opening match at Wimbledon wearing jewellery worth more than £185,000, Daily Mail Sport can reveal.
The world number one, just days after staging a media boycott in protest over prize money, was adorned with 64 carats of heart-shaped emerald and fancy brown diamond bling.
The four-time Grand Slam champion, who will play Teodora Kostovic on Centre Court, donned a necklace, matching earrings, and anklet handmade by New York designer Material Good for her first-round clash against Teodora Kostovic.
Sabalenka is looking to reach the Wimbledon final for the first time after threatening to quit tennis following her quarter-final meltdown at the French Open last month.
Wimbledon’s strict clothing rules that allow competitors to wear only white on court do not stretch to jewellery, letting Sabalenka sport her sparkling green emeralds, a nod to the grass courts at the All England Club.
Her 18 karat gold necklace features 41 fancy brown diamonds and 10 heart-shaped emeralds, more than 46 carats combined, is worth nearly £125,000 ($165,000) on its own, just £1,000 less than the prize money for reaching the second round.
Aryna Sabalenka will wear jewellery worth over £185,000 in her opening Wimbledon match
Her 18 karat gold necklace is worth nearly £125,000 on its own, the matching stud earrings are worthy nearly £35,700, while her anklet costs £24,700
The matching stud earrings, with removable jackets, are worth nearly £35,700 ($47,200) while the 11-carat, 27-emerald anklet costs £24,700 ($32,700).
‘The pieces are anchored by the green of the iconic grass courts, providing a grounding energy for the competition,’ a Material Good spokesperson told Daily Mail Sport.
‘Fancy brown diamond ovals in the necklace and earrings evoke the earth beneath the court, while dangling heart-shaped emeralds, Aryna’s birthstone, inject a sense of soul and movement. The emerald anklet, worn at the closest point to the court, serves as a tribute to her love of the game.’
Sabalenka is the face of the New York brand and wore their jewellery at the Australian Open and French Open and will do so again at the US Open in August.
In Paris last month, Sabalenka hit back at accusations of hypocrisy after she wore £76,000 worth of jewellery while cutting short her pre-tournament press conference as part the protest by 20 of the world’s top stars over prize money.
Sabalenka wore two necklaces and matching earrings at Roland Garros made up of 15.6 carat diamonds and 136.5 carat garnet while in Melbourne donned a pendant necklace with a 4.3 carat sapphire in the middle with matching dangling diamond and sapphire earrings.
‘I don’t really see how it can be possible to cross these two completely different worlds,’ said Sabalenka in Paris when asked if wearing luxury jewellery sat awkwardly with a fight for greater pay.
‘As I said before, the prize money, it’s not about me at all. It’s just fighting for players, lower-ranked players who are really struggling to survive in this tennis world. It has nothing to do with me that I’m fighting for the prize money.’
Sabalenka’s hopes of winning a fifth Grand Slam were blown away by the wind at Roland Garros as she lost the last 10 games in a row against Diana Shnaider in a remarkable collapse.
Sabalenka wore a similarly exquisite set of Material Good jewellery at the French Open
The 28-year-old once again limited her media duties ahead of Wimbledon as stars continued to make a stand despite a 20 per cent prize fund increase, which will see the winner take home £3.6million.
The Belarusian, a three-time Wimbledon semi-finalist, is part of the group of top players who will also restrict their interviews over the first week of action as they push the Grand Slams to give out more than 15 per cent of their revenue.
‘We do it for the tour, we don’t do it for ourselves,’ said Sabalenka ahead of the championship. ‘We do it for the rest of the players who are suffering to even hire a coach.
‘It’s not an easy life for players who are lower in the ranking. So, we do it for them. We are just trying to fight for something bigger, for other players. We are just trying to help basically players to survive this world.’
Players knocked out in the first round at Wimbledon will take home £80,000.
