"Sabalenka vs Everything"

22 January 2025

40s

Serve, not protect.

To the strains of Nancy Sinatra's cover of 'Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)', Aryna Sabalenka demonstrates why she has three Grand Slam titles to her name in this 40" Nike commercial. The six-foot-tall Belarusian has one of the most powerful serves in tennis, which is bad news for the props laid out in front of her in a large warehouse.

"The following is a test," supers warn us: "Do not attempt to recreate the power of Aryna Sabalenka at home." When speeds of 134, 189, 203, and 214km/h are involved, the brand just wants to cover its back. Understandable when you see the trail of destruction caused by Sabalenka, who must hate cuckoo clocks with a passion.

Her main course, however, is a white SUV at the back of the room. Every serve chips away at the poor defenceless vehicle. observed by a bobblehead on the dashboard that matches the tiger tattoo on Sabalenka's left arm. It's a playful touch that underlines how painful her serve is to opponents—which Nike gets a sadistic kick out of.

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