How Jackie Chan's 'Kiss Of Death' Cost Sabalenka And Zverev Australian Open Titles
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An amusing coincidence occurred at the 2025 Australian Open. The actor, director, and martial artist Jackie Chan seemed to curse Aryna Sabalenka and others playing in the finals at the season's opening Grand Slam.
Chan's appearance at the Australian Open created attention. Many ATP and WTA players are fans of the worldwide celebrity and met him backstage in Melbourne while he attended the Grand Slam tournament.
Sabalenka was among the players introduced to Chan. The photo below shows the WTA world No. 1's happiness while meeting Chan. She seems to be looking at him in awe as Chan is turned to the camera.
Despite meeting Chan and being the two-time defending champion, Sabalenka lost the final to Madison Keys, who secured her maiden Grand Slam title with a thrilling victory in the deciding set.
Zverev reached his third Grand Slam final at this year's Australian Open. Although the 27-year-old was the underdog against Jannik Sinner, Zverev's form made him confident of being able to compete against the ATP world No. 1.
The German also saw Chan in Melbourne. His meeting did not happen on any of the courts but behind the scenes. Their picture shows Chan in conversation with Zverev, who also appears happy to meet him.
However, Zverev, like Sabalenka, fell in the final. He did not come close to defeating Sinner, who swept him aside in straight sets to defend his Australian Open title and claim a third Grand Slam.
Another player who met Chan was 2017 French Open singles champion Jelena Ostapenko. Their meeting took place in the gym. The Latvian has a unique personality, and their conversation would probably have been interesting to listen to.
Unfortunately, Ostapenko also lost her Australian Open final. Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend beat her and Hsieh Su-Wei in an exciting three-set final that ended 6-2, 6-7, 6-3 in favor of the Czech and American.
Some fans have suggested that Chan's "Kiss of Death" placed a spell on those three players. The famous actor and martial artist has inspired millions with his numerous exciting and loved works, but oftentimes, athletes who he endorses lose their subsequent matches.
Chan's presence clearly did not help Sabalenka, Zverev, or Ostapenko get over the line in their finals. Sabalenka came closest, but Keys' level proved too good anyway.
Keys' fearlessness was reminiscent of Chan in several of the projects he partook in over the years. The American stepped up and took her moment to shine. She thoroughly deserved to win a maiden Grand Slam final in Melbourne.
It will be a while until fans see Keys in action again, though. She withdrew from the Qatar Open in Doha with a hamstring injury. Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek, and Coco Gauff are scheduled to appear at the WTA 1000 tournament.
Zverev has a busy February planned to distract himself from losing another Grand Slam final. He will compete on clay at the Argentina Open and Rio Open before immediately flying to Acapulco for the Mexican Open on hard courts.
