Sabalenka Reflects on Australian Open Final Loss, Rybakina Celebrates “Different” Grand Slam Title
Aryna Sabalenka entered the Australian Open as the top seed and a strong favorite, but ultimately fell short in the final against Elena Rybakina. This marks the Belarusian’s second defeat in a Grand Slam final, continuing a pattern of near misses on the biggest stages.
Following the match, Sabalenka questioned her strategy in the decisive moments. “Maybe I should have tried to be more aggressive on my serve [in the final set] knowing that I have a break and put pressure on her, but she played incredible,” she stated. She acknowledged Rybakina’s strong play, noting, “she made some winners. I made couple of unforced errors.”
Sabalenka expressed regret over the rapid shift in momentum during the final set. “Of course, I have regrets. you know, when you lead 3-0, and than it felt like in few seconds it was 3-4, and I was down with a break – so it was very fast,” she explained. She conceded, “[It was] great tennis from her. Maybe not so smart for me.” Looking ahead, she added, “Today I’m a loser, maybe tomorrow I’m a winner, maybe again a loser. hopefully not. Let’s see.”
For Rybakina,the Australian Open title carries a different weight than her 2022 Wimbledon victory. “Wimbledon was my first experience getting that far in the tournament, and I won straight away,” she said. She contrasted the experiences,explaining that Wimbledon was significantly more stressful. “I remember I was not sleeping well [ahead of the] semis, even quarters… it was really stressful, I will say, Wimbledon.”
Rybakina noted a calmer preparation for the Australian Open final. “[But] I was managing to sleep well here, and that’s a good thing.” She described the feelings surrounding this title as “different” given it was achieved on a hardcourt surface.
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