Aryna Sabalenka resumes hilarious tradition as Roland Garros gets underway

World No.2 Aryna Sabalenka picked up a wacky superstition earlier this year and has brought back the ritual as she competes at the 2024 Roland Garros tournament in Paris.

The Belarusian won her second Australian Open title this January, and gave partial credit to an amusing superstition where she signs her fitness trainer's head before every match. Following her triumph in Melbourne, Sabalenka stated she would continue the ritual for the rest of the year, even though he wasn't "happy with it".

Sabalenka kept her word, as she revealed she signed her fitness trainer's head before her Roland Garros opening round match against Erika Andreeva. In a dominant display, Sabalenka dispatched of her opponent in a 6-1 6-2 victory, requiring just 68 minutes.

"We just keep the traditions going, you know. Like I did sign his head today,” said Sabalenka when asked if she signed the head of her fitness coach, Jason Stacy. “Let's see if it's working or not. Hopefully that's the key, you know, but we're going to keep tradition. I don’t know why but I started to do it before my first match (in Melbourne). He is not happy with that. I think we are going to do it for the year now."