Sabalenka flaunts £185,000 emerald and diamond earrings at Wimbledon
Aryna Sabalenka arrived for her opening match at Wimbledon wearing jewellery worth more than £185,000, Daily Mail Sport can reveal.
The world number one, just days after staging a media boycott in protest over prize money, was adorned with 64 carats of heart-shaped emerald and fancy brown diamond bling.
The four-time Grand Slam champion, who will play Teodora Kostovic on Centre Court, donned a necklace, matching earrings, and anklet handmade by New York designer Material Good for her first-round clash against Teodora Kostovic.
Sabalenka is looking to reach the Wimbledon final for the first time after threatening to quit tennis following her quarter-final meltdown at the French Open last month.
Wimbledon’s strict clothing rules that allow competitors to wear only white on court do not stretch to jewellery, letting Sabalenka sport her sparkling green emeralds, a nod to the grass courts at the All England Club.
Her 18 karat gold necklace features 41 fancy brown diamonds and 10 heart-shaped emeralds, more than 46 carats combined, is worth nearly £125,000 ($165,000) on its own, just £1,000 less than the prize money for reaching the second round.
Aryna Sabalenka will wear jewellery worth over £185,000 in her opening Wimbledon match
Her 18 karat gold necklace is worth nearly £125,000 on its own, the matching stud earrings are worthy nearly £35,700, while her anklet costs £24,700
The matching stud earrings, with removable jackets, are worth nearly £35,700 ($47,200) while the 11-carat, 27-emerald anklet costs £24,700 ($32,700).
‘The pieces are anchored by the green of the iconic grass courts, providing a grounding energy for the competition,’ a Material Good spokesperson told Daily Mail Sport.
‘Fancy brown diamond ovals in the necklace and earrings evoke the earth beneath the court, while dangling heart-shaped emeralds, Aryna’s birthstone, inject a sense of soul and movement. The emerald anklet, worn at the closest point to the court, serves as a tribute to her love of the game.’
Sabalenka is the face of the New York brand and wore their jewellery at the Australian Open and French Open and will do so again at the US Open in August.
In Paris last month, Sabalenka hit back at accusations of hypocrisy after she wore £76,000 worth of jewellery while cutting short her pre-tournament press conference as part the protest by 20 of the world’s top stars over prize money.
Sabalenka wore two necklaces and matching earrings at Roland Garros made up of 15.6 carat diamonds and 136.5 carat garnet while in Melbourne donned a pendant necklace with a 4.3 carat sapphire in the middle with matching dangling diamond and sapphire earrings.
‘I don't really see how it can be possible to cross these two completely different worlds,’ said Sabalenka in Paris when asked if wearing luxury jewellery sat awkwardly with a fight for greater pay.
‘As I said before, the prize money, it's not about me at all. It's just fighting for players, lower-ranked players who are really struggling to survive in this tennis world. It has nothing to do with me that I'm fighting for the prize money.’
Sabalenka’s hopes of winning a fifth Grand Slam were blown away by the wind at Roland Garros as she lost the last 10 games in a row against Diana Shnaider in a remarkable collapse.
Sabalenka wore a similarly exquisite set of Material Good jewellery at the French Open
The 28-year-old once again limited her media duties ahead of Wimbledon as stars continued to make a stand despite a 20 per cent prize fund increase, which will see the winner take home £3.6million.
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The Belarusian, a three-time Wimbledon semi-finalist, is part of the group of top players who will also restrict their interviews over the first week of action as they push the Grand Slams to give out more than 15 per cent of their revenue.
‘We do it for the tour, we don't do it for ourselves,’ said Sabalenka ahead of the championship. ‘We do it for the rest of the players who are suffering to even hire a coach.
‘It's not an easy life for players who are lower in the ranking. So, we do it for them. We are just trying to fight for something bigger, for other players. We are just trying to help basically players to survive this world.’
Players knocked out in the first round at Wimbledon will take home £80,000.
Badenoch blasts 'moaning' female Labour MPs over Burnham jobs 'quota'
Kemi Badenoch has told Labour women to earn a job in Andy Burnham's Cabinet instead of demanding they are handed jobs because of their gender.
The Tory leader lashed out today amid reports that female MPs are demanding the de-facto new prime minister introduce a 50:50 gender split 'quota' in his government.
Amid reports that former foreign secretary David Miliband is being lined up to return to the role, possibly with his brother Ed as Chancellor, one female minister also complained that Burnham could not have 'more Milibands than women' in the top posts.
But in a scathing article in the Times today Mrs Badenoch told them to 'stop moaning' and get chosen on merit instead of retreating into 'more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country'.
'There are many, many reasons why you shouldn't have any Milibands in the cabinet,' she said.
'But complaining that the boys haven't given them the right jobs or that the boys are taking all the jobs, just shows that Labour's women still don't get it.'
The idea of quotas was also attacked by Baroness Jacqui Smith, Labour's Skills Minister.
Asked by Times Radio if Mr Burnham should reserve jobs for women, she said: 'No, I think what Andy Burnham should be doing is building the very best team around him to change this country.'
A letter written by the Women's Parliamentary Labour Party has called on Mr Burnham to ensure a 50:50 split between men and women in government jobs
Amid reports that former foreign secretary David Miliband (above, right, in 2010) is being lined up to return to the role, possibly with his brother Ed as Chancellor, one female minister complained that Burnham could not have 'more Milibands than women' in the top posts
But Mrs Badenoch told them to pipe down and get chosen on merit instead of retreating into 'more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country'
A letter written by the Women's Parliamentary Labour Party and seen by the BBC has called on Mr Burnham to ensure a 50:50 split between men and women in government jobs after he succeeds Sir Keir Starmer.
'We are asking you to demonstrate this change from day one and address the toxicity and misogyny within our own party and government,' it said.
Labour has never had a female leader, while the Conservatives have had three, and Mrs Badenoch urged the government to follow its meritocratic example.
'If you run a meritocracy, then you do not have to worry about jobs for the boys,' she wrote.
'Every woman who is a Conservative MP, every woman who has ever won the leadership, has had to fight to get where she is.
'By contrast, Labour women are demanding guarantees from Burnham. But the truth is he doesn't have to give any guarantees.
'If none of Labour's women are prepared to get their hands dirty and challenge him for the leadership, their demands are toothless.'
'In fact, it's quite revealing that the women's parliamentary Labour Party has written to Burnham asking him to commit himself to at least 50 per cent female ministers.
'This has nothing to do with meritocracy. It is yet more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country.'
