Elena Rybakina reacts to Aryna Sabalenka's hurtful words said after WTA Finals

Wednesday, 26 November 2025 at 11:30

byErik Virostko

Elena Rybakina ended the 2025 season in the best possible way, lifting the trophy at the WTA Finals, which her opponent, Aryna Sabalenka, obviously didn't like.

Not everyone can win, and that's very true in sports. There can be only one winner at each tennis tournament played, and the WTA Finals are no exception. The eight best players in the world competed for the last trophy of the season in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and it all came down to a match between Rybakina and Sabalenka.

Both hit the ball incredibly hard, so it was an exciting match, but while one player left Saudi Arabia with a smile on her face, the other was in tears after the match and rushed her press conference to fly to the Maldives and forget the disappointment.

Sabalenka was very angry with herself after the match, and she was overheard saying, "Even a stick shoots once a year," which was a disrespectful way of saying her opponent got lucky by playing well on the day of their final. The Belarusian has made an identical comment after losing to Madison Keys in the Australian Open final, and she made similar comments after losing to Coco Gauff in the Roland Garros final.

It's easy to understand why Sabalenka was so frustrated after those big losses. Although she ended the 2025 season as the world No. 1 and broke the record for most prize money earned in a season on the WTA Tour, her season could have been much better. She was four matches away from completing a Calendar Slam, and all three of her major losses came in three sets.

The WTA Finals final loss was probably the last nail in the coffin for Sabalenka in terms of losing big matches in 2025. Rybakina was asked about the comment made by her rival in an interview with Tengri News, but she wasn't too offended by what the world No. 1 said, understanding the context.

"They told me after the match, but it was in context. We've played with Aryna many times, and more than once this year, so I don't really focus on it. I have good feelings for both Aryna and her team, so I don't take it to heart, even if it was actually said to me."

Elena Rybakina reveals how she spent her first days after ending the 2025 season

During a season, tennis players have to be incredibly strict with everything they do, mostly their diet and routine. The tennis calendar is incredibly demanding, and not being 100% focused on the bigger picture all the time can cost players in the long run.

The only time when they can properly relax is during the off-season, and that's why Rybakina was asked what the first things she did after ending the season were. She revealed that she ate some sweet pastries and a cake, but also got more sleep.

"Naturally, I have a diet when I play tournaments: the main thing is less sweets, or better yet, none at all. As soon as I finished the season, there were, of course, all sorts of pastries, and they even gave me a very beautiful cake with the WTA logo. In that sense, I celebrated well."

"Overall, I got more sleep in the first few days after the season, meaning I allowed myself to do nothing special and completely relax for a few days. I recently went to a concert. I hadn't done anything that big or anything completely new."