How I Dug Up Sabalenka’s Necklace Story
Just caught Sabalenka’s match last night while scrolling tennis highlights. Spot her rocking that shiny necklace during trophy celebration? Made me wanna know why it mattered so much.
First thing I did was blast “Sabalenka necklace” into search engines yesterday afternoon. Tons sports sites talking about the win, zero details about jewelry. Kept clicking through trashy gossip blogs till my coffee went cold – nada.
- Checked fan forums where folks screenshot her matches
- Dove into her old interview transcripts page by page
- Even scrolled three years back on her sister’s Instagram
Finally struck gold around midnight when this Belarusian sports podcast popped up. Host mentioned Sabalenka’s necklace backstory from some charity event. Nearly threw my phone across the room – why didn’t English sites report this?
Turns out it’s no ordinary bling. That jeweled tennis racket pendant? Custom-made replica of her childhood coach’s necklace. Dude apparently passed right before her first Grand Slam finals run. Now she wears it like a good luck charm.
Key things I learned:
- She touches it before every serve when nervous
- Never wears it for practice sessions
- Changed chain material last year after skin irritation
Honestly thought it’d be some sponsor deal or boyfriend gift. Way more emotional than I expected. Shows how even champs need tangible reminders of people who believed in them.
Spent today triple-checking everything against tournament photos. Zoomed crazy close on Getty Images shots – yup, exact same pendant shape. Wild how a tiny object can hold so much weight.