Aryna Sabalenka sported diamond-and-garnet necklaces and earrings reportedly supplied by New York luxury jeweller Material Good worth Rs 97 lakh. (AP Photo)World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka walked onto court at Roland Garros wearing jewellery valued at more than £75,000 (approx Rs 97 lakh) — just days after joining leading players in pushing for a larger share of Grand Slam revenues and improved prize money distribution for lower-ranked professionals.The Belarusian, who opened her French Open campaign with a straight-sets win over Spain’s Jessica Bouzas Maneiro, sported diamond-and-garnet necklaces and earrings reportedly supplied by New York luxury jeweller Material Good. The jewellery was worth more than the prize money earned by players who exited in the first round.Telegraph Sport reported ‘it has provided three necklaces and a pair of earrings worth a total of $148,000 for the tournament’. “Sabalenka elected not to wear the third necklace on court yesterday (Tuesday). The jewellery, which has been designed to coordinate with the Belarusian’s black-and-red Nike dress, includes over 200 carats of garnets and 23 carats of diamonds,” the daily reported.The timing drew attention because the jewellery worn on court was worth more than the prize money earned by Bouzas Maneiro for her first-round exit. Sabalenka, however, rejected suggestions of hypocrisy, insisting the campaign around prize money was aimed at helping players further down the rankings rather than enriching the sport’s elite.Game, set and match, Sabalenka #RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/TiuYo8bUCk— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) May 26, 2026When asked about the decision to wear jewellery worth more than the amount first-round losers received as prize money, Sabalenka was quoted as saying by The Telegraph: “I don’t really see how it can be possible to, like, cross these two completely different worlds. As I said before, prize money, it’s not about me at all. It’s just fighting for players, lowerranked players, who are really struggling to survive in this tennis world.”Earlier this week, the top men’s and women’s players collectively shortened their pre-tournament media commitments in what was seen as a symbolic protest over revenue sharing at the French Open. The current prize pool distributed by the French Tennis Federation is understood to be below 15 per cent of tournament revenues, while players are reportedly pushing for a figure closer to 22 per cent.Sabalenka argued that lower-ranked players face mounting financial pressure despite tennis’ booming commercial success. Britain’s Francesca Jones also highlighted the issue recently, saying many players outside the top tier struggle merely to break even after covering travel, coaching and support costs.Sabalenka, a three-time Grand Slam champion, said fashion and presentation remain important parts of her on-court identity. She explained that feeling confident in her appearance often helps her performance, adding that she enjoys bringing “a little bit of fashion” to the court by coordinating jewellery with her outfits.Story continues below this adSabalenka also brushed aside concerns about wearing such expensive items around Roland Garros, joking that her fiancé and physiotherapist — who practises jujitsu — provided enough security. © IE Online Media Services Pvt LtdTags:French OpenRoland Garros