Aryna Sabalenka is plotting a Miami staycation for the 2024 off-season

After winning the 2024 US Open, Aryna Sabalenka cut her trip to Fashion Week short.

“My boyfriend had his birthday and we planned to celebrate it in Florida,” she said, having enjoyed a star turn at Off-White’s show in the wake of her third Grand Slam victory. “So, we went home to spend time there and just recharge.”

Read more: With style and flair, Aryna Sabalenka reflects on 2024 season, return to No. 1

Hailing from the Belarusian capital of Minsk, Sabalenka has made Miami her home base, where she trains and where she plans to spend vacation with boyfriend Georgios Frangulis—founder and CEO of her beloved Oakberry acai bowls smoothies—following her stint at the WTA Finals in Riyadh.

“I have a lot of plans, but I’m going to probably stay in Florida,” Sabalenka told me after winning her opening round at the Dongfeng Voyah Wuhan Open. “It would be cool to feel the home atmosphere and just at home.”

It was also where Sabalenka spent a frustrating few weeks after she was forced to withdraw from Wimbledon. But the shoulder injury also forced the now-No. 1 to explore all that Miami has to offer.

“I was like, ‘I’m in Miami!’” she said back in August. “It’s beautiful with a lot of stuff to do, a lot of good restaurants. I decided to just enjoy and take everything I can out of this difficult situation.”

Fit from a month in the sun, Sabalenka has taken the summer and subsequent fall by storm, winning in Cincinnati, the US Open, and Wuhan to return to world No. 1. She prepared for the WTA Finals—where she finished runner-up in 2022—in Dubai, but home is undeniably where her heart is.

“Miami is so chill, so relaxed. Everyone is enjoying life. They’re not in a rush. They call it a place for retirement, and it’s so chill. But at the same time, the nightlife in Miami is so cool.”

For those planning to migrate south this winter, Sabalenka shared her favorite restaurant.

“Definitely go to Casadonna. Miami pizza is incredible. There’s so many good restaurants, beaches, nightclubs. It’s a cool place to relax, have fun and have good meals!”

Click here to read the full interview with Sabalenka.