Aryna Sabalenka, the world’s top-ranked women’s singles player, was upset by American Madison Keys in the Australian Open final on Saturday. Sabalenka, who was seeking to become the first player since Martina Hingis to win three consecutive Australian Opens, fell to Keys 6-3, 2-6, 7-5.
After the match, Sabalenka was seen shaking hands with Keys and the chair umpire, but then she let out her emotions by slamming her racket and throwing it at the bench. She covered her face with a towel and stormed off into the locker room.
In her post-match press conference, Sabalenka acknowledged the frustration she felt, saying, “There definitely was a bit of frustration, because I was so close to achieve something crazy. When you’re out there, you’re fighting, but it seems like everything (is not) going the way you really want (it) to go.”
Sabalenka added that she needed to “throw those negative emotions at the end” and did so by literally smashing her racket. She said she needed to do that “so I could give a speech (and) not stand there being disrespectful.”
Despite her emotions, Sabalenka was seen joking with her team after the loss and praised Keys for her performance. “I think we did our best,” Sabalenka said. “Just Madison was playing incredible. I just couldn’t do anything in this match. Next time I play against Madison, I bring better tennis.”
Keys, who won her first Grand Slam title, also showed love to Sabalenka, saying it was “unbelievable playing” on her part. She noted that she never thought she’d win a Grand Slam at age 29 and was proud of her career regardless of the outcome.