Aryna Sabalenka Feels 'Fully Recovered' After 'Toughest Loss' In Australian Open Final
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Aryna Sabalenka will play her first tournament since the disappointing loss at the 2025 Australian Open.
For the third consecutive year, Sabalenka played in the Australian Open final. The Belarusian player left with the trophy on the last two occasions, but that wasn't the case this time.
Madison Keys beat her in the final, which was decided by a few points at the end of the third set. It was a spectacular final full of hard hitting from both players.
Sabalenka was the favorite as a two-time champion and the WTA World No. 1 player, but she lost. Obviously, she was frustrated after losing the final, which was clear to everyone at the Rod Laver Arena.
After shaking her opponent's hand, Sabalenka smashed her racket, and she then also left the court to calm herself before the trophy ceremony. It was clear that the loss was painful to her.
After the event, the 26-year-old took some time to recover. Now, she will appear at the 2025 Qatar Open in Doha with the rest of the players who will play at the first WTA 1000 tournament of the season.
Keys won't be among them, as she withdrew from the tournament. That means Sabalenka will have one less rival on her way to the trophy, but even if the American was present, maybe it wouldn't have been a problem for the Belarusian.
Speaking ahead of the event, Sabalenka admitted that even though the loss was difficult for her, she has now managed to get over it.
"This one was the toughest one. I think for a week I was still thinking about that match. Honestly, looking back and thinking about those two lost games (in the final set), I didn't do anything wrong, she just played out of her mind, and it was her day, there's nothing to regret. I think right now I'm fully recovered after that tough match."
But Sabalenka didn't talk just about herself during her press conference in Doha. Just a few hours before her press conference, Belinda Bencic won the 2025 Abu Dhabi Open.
It was the first title for the Swiss player as a mother after she returned to the sport last year. Bencic's win in Abu Dhabi was incredibly impressive, as she entered the tournament only as a wild card.
"That's impressive, honestly. She just came back, I think Australian Open she had a great run (to the fourth round), and now she's holding the trophy. It's amazing, I'm super happy for her, she definitely deserved that."
For Sabalenka, and many other players on the WTA Tour, Bencic's success once again shows them that they can succeed even after having a baby.
"As she said, she worked really hard for that, and it's good to see. It gives us hope that probably, whenever we’re all going to go for babies, we have a chance to come back if we want to."
