Aryna Sabalenka Flashes Skills in Racquet Grip Challenge

Aryna Sabalenka participated in a viral video for the Brisbane International.

Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus celebrates winning the Brisbane International match against Yulia Putintseva of Kazakhstan. / IMAGO / AAP

No sport does a better job of generating viral videos that showcase its star players' skills and personalities better than tennis. Not only the ATP and WTA but all of the tournaments create funny trends that immediately do numbers on social media.

Combine that concerted social media strategy with Aryna Sabalenka's authentic personality, and it's the recipe for success. Known for her powerful play and hilarious TikTok dances, Sabalenka took on the Racquet Grip Challenge.

Sabalenka is currently competing in the Brisbane International and participated in the challenge for the tournament. Below is the 39-second video posted by @BrisbaneTennis.

"This girl is on FIRE" 🔥 @SabalenkaA

The world No.1 is next up in our Racquet Grip Challenge!
#BrisbaneTennis @WTA pic.twitter.com/pNEIswGa8G

— Brisbane International (@BrisbaneTennis) January 2, 2025

In the video, Sabalenka races against time to tape up her racquet handle while absorbing jokes from her friends off-camera. The WTA World No.1 claimed to be finished after 13 seconds, before eventually admitting to cheating (there was plenty of tape left hanging off the racquet).

Sabalenka laughed, saying that if she had not cheated on the challenge, then it would have taken her a minute. She then sang "This girl is on fire" from the Alicia Keyes song and skipped out of the video.

Sabalenka should always be taken seriously because of her domination of the sport. The 26-year-old finished as the WTA World No.1 with a singles record of 56-14 with four singles titles (including two Grand Slams) in 2024.

The celebration from Sabalenka 🤣@SabalenkaA | #BrisbaneTennis pic.twitter.com/jBNwvJicRG

— wta (@WTA) January 2, 2025

Yet, she is a walking meme. Even when Sabalenka is not trying to make tennis fans laugh, her comedic timing and body language are just what the sport needs. It is one of the many reasons why she deserves more endorsement money.

Earlier today, Sabalenka defeated Yulia Putintseva and qualified to face Marie Bouzkova in the quarterfinals of the Brisbane International. From there, Sabalenka will prepare to defend her Australian Open title in Melbourne.

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