“Seeing the history of Porsche from so close-up,” said the world No. 1 after returning to the Porsche Arena, “was a very inspirational experience for me.”
When Aryna Sabalenka goes out onto court, she always has a plan. She had also set her mind on doing something special when popping over to the Porsche Museum on Thursday. She wanted to find a car made in the year of her birth – 1998 – and discovered the Porsche 911 Carrera type 996 by Biggibilla. She immediately fell in love with the Australian-indigenous design of the art car, especially as she is a big fan of the continent after her Grand Slam wins at the Australian Open.
The art car that enthralled Aryna Sabalenka was painstakingly hand-painted by the indigenous artist Graham J. Rennie – also known as Biggibilla – in the Porsche Centre Melbourne in 1998. It is adorned with various Australian animals. “The car,” she enthused, “is simply made for me.”
On her tour around the Porsche World, Aryna Sabalenka appeared relaxed and in a great mood – even though the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix is developing into a test of the world No. 1’s patience. Top-seeded, she had a first-round bye but as her second-round opponent was forced to withdraw with an injury and as Good Friday is a day off, she will finally get around to playing her opening match at the long-standing Stuttgart tournament on Saturday in the quarterfinals. Then the out-and-out Porsche fan will be looking to take the first step towards winning the Porsche Macan Turbo that awaits this year’s tournament winner as the main prize by beating the Belgian Elise Mertens.
The match was not too far away from her thoughts when visiting the Porsche Museum. Aryna Sabalenka was taken by the building’s architecture and the many fantastic models. “If I had to choose one,” she said with a smile on her face, “then I’d have to think very hard and long.” In addition to the art car, she was also impressed by the Sally Carrera and above all the Porsche 356 “No. 1” Roadster, the first vehicle bearing the name of Porsche that she was able to take a look at in the museum workshop. “What a beautiful car,” she raved and her eyes lit up. “I’d love to drive it by the sea into the rising sun.”
Porsche im Tennis
The Porsche Tennis Grand Prix is the flagship of Porsche’s worldwide involvement in women’s tennis. First played in Filderstadt in 1978, the long-standing Stuttgart tournament has been held in the city’s Porsche Arena since 2006. It stands for tradition and innovation, as does the Porsche brand. As the most loyal sponsor of women’s international tennis, Porsche has accompanied the WTA’s oldest indoor event right from the start. Porsche has also been supporting women’s tennis internationally for years. Iga Swiatek, Eva Lys and Maria Sakkari are “Friends of the Brand” in their home countries. Porsche has been a premium partner of the “Deutsche Tennis Bund” (DTB – German Tennis Association) since 2012 and is committed to fostering up-and-coming players in the Porsche Talent Team and the Porsche Junior Team.
