Sabalenka Reveals Awkward Proposal Moment: Proposed in Jeans, Begged Photographer Not to Capture Her Face

Even the world number one can feel flustered. Belarusian tennis star Aryna Sabalenka, currently competing at Indian Wells, recently detailed in an interview the behind-the-scenes story of her proposal last week from boyfriend Georgios Frangulis. Interestingly, this fierce player known for her powerful shots on court reacted at her most romantic life moment by first thinking—she looked too ugly.

Sabalenka revealed that this proposal was entirely a "setup" orchestrated by her boyfriend together with her entire team.

“I was completely unprepared. The whole team knew,” Sabalenka recalled with a laugh. That evening, her agent suggested she wear something nice for a supposedly very important 15-minute meeting. But the exhausted world number one didn’t take it seriously: “She didn’t insist too much on me wearing makeup; I was extremely tired that night. I thought, ‘Alright, I won’t dress up too much… just jeans.’”

When she arrived at the scene and saw Georgios kneeling with a ring, she was completely stunned.

“When we arrived and I saw Georgios, I spent half the time crying because I felt I looked awful, totally unprepared, and this was such a beautiful moment.” This champion accustomed to performing under the gaze of thousands in center court showed a rare moment of panic.

Even more amusing, Sabalenka, amidst her emotional breakdown, still maintained her image-consciousness. Sabalenka said, “I stopped everything and asked the videographer and photographer not to shoot my face, only the ring. I told them to take side or back shots so no one would be shocked by my appearance.”

This survival-mode maneuver quickly sparked social media. Fans flooded the comments: some said, “Hahaha even the world number one fears being photographed without makeup!” Others commented, “I prepared roses and candles carefully, but she was thinking about camera angles.” Another remarked, “So relatable, this is a girl’s normal reaction!”

Although caught off guard by the surprise, Sabalenka still admitted it was a beautiful evening and her boyfriend truly surprised her. Sabalenka stated, “It was a beautiful moment. I was surprised, even though deep down I had a feeling something like this might happen here. Still, he managed to surprise me.”

The 27-year-old Sabalenka and Brazilian entrepreneur Georgios Frangulis publicly revealed their relationship in 2024. As founder of the health food brand Oakberry and an amateur racing driver, Georgios often accompanies Sabalenka on her global tours, hailed by fans as the “best logistics manager.” After winning the Brisbane title earlier this year, Sabalenka publicly hinted to her boyfriend: “Hope to call you something else soon.” Less than two months later, Georgios responded with a meticulously planned proposal.(Source: Tennis Home Author: Lu Xiaotian)