About Aryna Sabalenka’s parents, Sergey Sabalenka and Yulia Sabalenka

The surname Aryna Sabalenka falls in the history of tennis. She confirms that.

After her father, Sergei Sabalenka, unexpectedly passed away from meningitis in 2019, the three-time Grand Slam champion said she has promised her mother, Yulia Sabalenka and her sister to become the best in the world.

“After losing my father, putting your last name in tennis history has always been my goal,” she told reporters at a press conference after winning her third major title in September 2024.

Sergei and Yulia welcomed Alina in May 1998 and welcomed her next daughter, Tonechka Sabalenka, 11 years later. Tennis Pro told Flaunt Magazine in January 2025 that her family motivated her more than anything else.

“There were times when I wanted to give up, but I was just thinking, I couldn’t stop,” Alina told the outlet. “I hope they will be proud of me and bring some positivity to their lives as they will be happy when I win. And I want it to be a great example for my sister. She is 11 years younger. I want them to see a good example (in me) as I saw with my dad.”

Here’s everything you need to know about Aryna Sabalenka’s parents, Sergey Sabalenka and Yulia Sabalenka.

Sergei was an ice hockey player.

Alina inherited her athletic ability from her father, who successfully made a Belarusian ice hockey player. Tennis Pro told Flaunt Magazine that she also gained his determination and tenacity, but it was his hilarious temperament that she really wanted to make it into.

“I think I was seven or nine,” Alina recalled to the outlet. “We had just partyed inside the house and I looked up at him. He was so funny. He was so happy. People loved him.”

She continued, “I turned to him, thinking, ‘I hope I have this personality when I grow up.” He always focused on positive things rather than negative things. ”

They have two daughters

Sergei and Yulia welcomed two girls in the course of their marriage. Aryna was born on May 5, 1998, and Tonechka arrived in February 2009. Tennis Champ told Flaunt Magazine that after leading her sister through difficult times, she decided to play the role of a cool sister instead.

“There were times when I was trying to get her to understand things, so there were really difficult times for her. “But now I think I’m just someone there for fun and for any advice she needs from me.”

She continued. “Whatever she wants from me, I’m always trying to find a way to deliver it… I love her, and when she was born, I was the happiest person.

Sergei introduced Alina to tennis

Describing herself as “sitting person spot child,” Alina told herself in May 2025 that she decided to check if her father likes tennis after one day passed the courthouse. The 6-year-old at the time thought sports were fun, but the real reason she liked her is because she had to skip school to play from time to time.

After winning her second Grand Slam title at the 2024 Australian Open Championship in January 2024, she revealed to reporters that the trophy has taken a step closer to realizing her and her father’s dreams.

“I lost my father four years ago. We had one dream,” Aryna wrote on Yahoo! Sports. “It wins some Grand Slams before he’s 25.”

She continued, “There were moments when I didn’t believe I would win it one day. But I just couldn’t stop… I want to believe that my dad was looking at me and being very proud of me. So I just couldn’t stop – for my family.

Yulia jokingly called the arena’s Australian open trophy “boring”.

Aryna’s mother is proud of her daughter’s Australian Open Winner, but said it was time to look for other trophy designs before winning the US Open title later that year.

“My mother has them, and they’re lined up, like she called them twins,” she told reporters in March 2024 for each tennis world. “She said, “Just like we need to play like different kinds of kinds, so that you can work on other slams, and you can look boring like just the same two.”

Tennis pros said, “I’m ‘Mom, well, what’s your request? You could have appreciated these two. It wasn’t easy.”

Sergei passed away in 2019

In 2019, Alina’s father unexpectedly passed away from meningitis at just 43 years old.

The loss struck a 21-year-old at the time. She told Flaunt Magazine that she had a year where she “couldn’t serve.” With the help of a psychologist and a biomechanical coach, she eventually found a way to guide her father’s resolve and advance her career.

“The way he raised me, he told me you always have to fight,” Arena told herself. “You have to work hard.”

In addition to pushing her, she added, “He was always positive and fun, and he always tried to stay strong.”