Belarusian powerhouse Aryna Sabalenka has been pictured picking up her pre-match meal before heading out with her boyfriend Georgios Frangulis at the Australian Open.
The world number one successfully began her quest for a third consecutive Australian Open crown on Sunday night.
She faced American Sloane Stephens, the 2017 US Open champion, under the roof of the Rod Laver Arena and claimed a 6-3, 6-2 victory.
Earlier in the day, around 3:20 p.m., Sabalenka gave her fans a glimpse of how she prepares for big matches when she was photographed picking up her Uber Eats delivery.
Dressed in relaxed workout clothes, the tennis star picked up some tasty snacks, including beef brisket bao buns and spicy corn fritters.
After her meal, the 26-year-old was seen going for a walk with her superfood entrepreneur partner, and the pair visited Tiffany & Co. jewelery store on Melbourne's upscale Collins Street.
Earlier in the week, Sabalenka treated her followers to a series of photos of her and Frangulis, one of which featured a photo of her wearing a gold ring with a huge gemstone on the ring finger of her left hand.
Aryna Sabalenka has been photographed picking up her pre-match meal on Sunday, just before claiming a crushing straight-set victory.
The tennis superstar needed to recharge before her match against American Sloane Stephens.
Sabalenka's meal included beef brisket bao buns and spicy corn fritters.
Many of her fans concluded that her man had popped the question, but Sabalenka responded to one by writing: “No guys, it's just a beautiful ring, we're not engaged.”
The 26-year-old went public with their romance in May last year, sharing a photo of them together after losing to Iga Swiatek at the Italian Open.
That came two months after her ex-boyfriend, Belarusian ice hockey star Konstantin Koltsov, died after jumping from a hotel balcony in Miami in a tragedy that left the tennis star devastated.
In July, Sabalenka described Frangulis as the “love of my life” as the couple enjoyed a holiday after an injury forced her to withdraw from Wimbledon.
Born in Brazil, Frangulis is the founder of superfood brand Oakberry, which sponsored the Haas F1 team and partnered with Sabalenka after the romance began, creating her own acai bowl for the brand.
He studied law before becoming an entrepreneur and has a keen interest in motorsports, having participated in 128 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup races in Brazil.
Frangulis often posts touching messages to his partner on Instagram, writing “I'm in love with the queen of New York” when the pair were photographed together after she won last year's US Open in Flushing Meadows.
When Sabalenka captioned a recent post showing them together with “Tis the season for silly couple photos, good outfits and good food,” she responded: “Always silly, never boring, I love you,” using the Portuguese term for “I love you.” . '.
After her meal, Sabalenka was seen walking with her boyfriend, superfood entrepreneur Georgios Frangulis.
The world number one made public her romance with the Brazilian businessman last May
Koltsov and Sabalenka were together for three years before his death and the Grand Slam champion later spoke about how she dealt with his passing.
“I once lost my father and tennis helped me get over that hard loss,” he said.
“So at that moment (of Koltsov's death) I thought I had to move on, keep playing, keep doing my thing to separate my personal life from my professional life.
'But in the end I would say that I had a lot of health problems because I didn't stop. “It was very emotional and stressful, and it kind of damaged my mental health at the time.”
After Sunday night's match, Sabalenka said her improved mental toughness is behind her rise to the top.
While she never looked in danger of defeat, Sabalenka lacked her usual brilliance in the first set and her booming serve was lost.
The Belarusian raced to a 4-0 lead, but dropped serve twice to allow Stephens to recover and go down 4-3.
Sabalenka is looking to claim three women's singles crowns in three years at this year's Australian Open.
But a fierce Sabalenka regained control and was able to break the veteran world number 66 before finishing the set.
She said her old self may have sabotaged the match at that time.
'I think it's a big difference. “If I compare myself to three years ago, at that time I would get frustrated and probably lose the first set,” Sabalenka said.
“I'm not sure I can win the game.
“I am very happy that I have improved my mental strength; I can stay focused no matter the result or the situation.” I'm concentrating on the game, on the point. I'm focusing point by point.'