What does US Open star Aryna Sabalenka’s tiger tattoo mean? As the No. 2 seed chases her second Grand Slam title this weekend against Coco Gauff
- Aryna Sabalenka will be looking to win her second Grand Slam title this year
- The No. 2 seed is scheduled to face Coco Gauff in the women’s US Open final
- Many fans will have noticed her iconic ink throughout the tournament so far
Aryna Sabalenka is set to compete in her first US Open final this year following her victory against Madison Keys.
The 25-year-old completed a dramatic comeback to win the clash 0-6 7-6(1) 7-6(5) to deny Keys an All-American showdown.
Sabalenka was one game away from losing, down 6-0, 5-3, before she turned the match around. She also had to fight back from a break down in the third set before winning in a match-tiebreak in a game which lasted over two-and-a-half hours.
She is now set to face Coco Gauff after she defeated No.10 seed Karolina Muchova in the other semi-final. Throughout the tournament so far, fans would have spotted Sabalenka’s tattoo on her left arm.
Mail Sport breaks down why Aryna Sabalenka has a tiger tattoo.
Aryna Sabalenka will be looking to win her second Grand Slam title at the US Open final this weekend
The world No. 2 defeated Madison Keys in the semi-finals and is set to face Coco Gauff
What does Aryna Sabalenka’s tiger tattoo mean?
As eluded to, many fans would have noticed Sabalenka’s tattoo on her left arm throughout the US Open so far.
Born in 1998, the tattoo is a reference to the year she was born, 1998 – which is the year of the tiger in the cyclical Chinese zodiac.
Her tattoo also reflects her aggressive playing attitude while playing tennis.
Speaking on her ink, the 25-year-old revealed that her mum did not speak to the tennis star for a week when she first saw the tattoo.
‘I think I was 18 years old and my parents didn’t know, and when they saw it the first time my dad was laughing,’ she said.
‘I don’t know why but my mum didn’t talk to me for one week, and then she said like ‘I hope it’s the first in the last one and I said ‘look mama the first one and the last one and then I turned out I said ‘hopefully’.’
‘It’s special as sometimes I need to remind myself that I am the tigress and I need to fight till the end. I just put it on my arm to make sure I can see it every time and be on fire,’ said Sabalenka.
‘Sometimes in the court, it reminds me that you need to fight for each point.’
US Open star Aryna Sabalenka’s tattoo reflects her aggressive style when playing tennis
When is the Women’s US Open final?
Sabalenka’s clash with Gauff is scheduled to take place on Saturday, September 9.
It is expected to start around 9pm BST / 4pm ET / 3pm CT / 5.30am ACST (Monday) / 6am AEST (Monday).
The final between the two will take place at the Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York.
The women’s final will take place at the Arthur Ashe Stadium on Saturday, September 9
How to watch
Fans will be able to watch all of this year’s action will be shown live on Sky Sports.
All of the matches will also be streamed on Sky Go.
ESPN will also be showing live coverage of all of this year’s action for those watching in the States, while 9Gem will be broadcasting the US Open in Australia.
