Aryna Sabalenka On Managing Her Brand And Building Acai Bowls

Two-time major singles champion Aryna Sabalenka breaks out a signature açaí bowl with Oakberry.

The business partnership between tennis world No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka and acai franchise Oakberry kicked off in January. But it really takes a personal turn on Aug. 20, as Sabalenka unveils her acai bowl recipe, made available across the country.

That collaboration helps Sabalenka connect with a brand, learn the ropes of business relationships and, well, try her hand at a culinary creation.

“[Business partnerships] become much more personal and special when there’s an opportunity to be creatively involved,” Sabalenka tells me. “That creative input makes the partnership more meaningful and authentic. And in this case, even more special since I’m a big fan of the brand and the product.”

As part of the promotion of the Power Serve Bowl by Sabalenka, the tennis star will make a stop at Oakberry’s New York City Lexington Avenue store on Aug. 20 to serve up her bowl, available for customers through Sept. 13. Getting to that point, though, required Sabalenka to embark on some hands-on culinary creation.

Aryna Sabalenka says she enjoys being creative in her business partnerships.

“Crafting my Power Serve Bowl was super exciting,” she says. “I’ve made acai bowls at home before, but working on this project with Oakberry is the perfect combination of flavors and health benefits.” The bowl starts with acai, which Sabalenka says she enjoys eating plain, but when she added peanut butter and whey protein it “really made a difference.” Additional ingredients include chia pudding, cacao nibs and blueberries.

“I can tell you that [Sabalenka] knows what she wants and what she likes,” Bruno Cardinali, global head of marketing at Oakberry, tells me. “And, not surprisingly, she cares a lot about her diet. Her Oakberry signature bowl was crafted with the ingredients that she likes the most, both from a taste, as well as a functional perspective.”

Sabalenka and Oakberry signed a two-year agreement in January, but this is the first big project between the two. Cardinali says partnering with a tennis player helps show off Oakberry’s ethos of a healthy lifestyle to a segment of the population—tennis players—who can relate. By working with Sabalenka, it not only solidifies that tennis connection with one of the top athletes in the sport, but since she’s a genuine fan of the brand it combines to “create a real connection with our fans.”

Aryna Sabalenka is building her brand beyond the tennis court.

That connection is part of what the two-time major singles champion wants in any business partnership. “I look for authenticity and alignment with my values in a sponsorship partner,” she says. “The brand must stand for something I believe in. As my career has progressed, I’ve been more focused on partnerships that speak to me inside out.”

Over the last couple of years, Sabalenka says she’s learned how integral the business side is to a successful tennis career. “It’s about building a brand, making smart decisions and planning for the future.” It may still be tricky to balance the business requirements with the tennis—something she calls a “learning curve”—but the trick for her has been staying organized and surrounding herself with a team to help manage it all.

“As I gained more experience and started seeing the bigger picture,” Sabalenak says about becoming more hands-on with the business side of tennis, “I knew I needed to be involved in decisions that would impact my long-term success, both on and off the court.”

That means continuing to work with partners in a collaborative way. Sabalenka, who is also signed with Wilson and Nike for on-court equipment, is working with Whoop, a fitness brand.

The Power Serve Bowl by Sabalenka for Oakberry.

For Oakberry, Cardinali says as Sabalenka gets more involved with the products, campaigns and initiatives, her being a true fan makes it more natural to work together. “We can’t wait to see this one come to life,” he says, noting they hope to have more collaborative projects moving forward.

Having the initial project pop up in New York is a fit for a city Cardinali calls a “vibrant and busy market, with a lifestyle that perfectly fits our proposition, to offer a healthy meal-replacement, snack and treat solution on the go.” As the brand is seeing worldwide growth—this year Oakberry is on pace to open 250-plus stores worldwide, with a focus on the United States—New York is part of that, now with 10 stores.

While the Power Serve Bowl by Sabalenka may be all about the now for Oakberry and New York City, it’s part of a long-term vision for the tennis player. Each different brand partnership gives the 26-year-old the opportunity to look beyond her playing days. “I really like the idea of creating a brand in one of the areas that I identify myself the most,” she says, adding that both fashion and the health food market fit with her lifestyle. “It definitely makes sense to have them as part of my professional life in the long-term.”