'Trophy Or Nothing': Aryna Sabalenka Gives Brutally Honest Reaction To AO Final Loss
News
Aryna Sabalenka's mentality was shown by her comments after narrowly losing the Australian Open women's singles final to Madison Keys.
Sabalenka hoped to secure a third consecutive title at the season's opening Grand Slam. She entered the final having won her previous 20 matches at the tournament, and was the favorite to triumph again.
Keys flipped the script by winning a dramatic and memorable final, 6-3, 2-6, 7-5. The American remained brave on her serve and groundstrokes throughout the contest, eventually being rewarded with a maiden Grand Slam title.
Sabalenka was furious afterward. She smashed her racket and then left the court before the trophy ceremony began. Luckily, the two-time champion calmed down and gave a funny speech after receiving the runner-up trophy.
Nonetheless, the Belarusian's initial outburst showed how much the defeat hurt. Sabalenka is the WTA world No. 1 and is guaranteed to retain that position when the new rankings are released. She reached that point by having an elite mentality.
That determination to succeed was demonstrated by her comments in a press conference after the final. The 26-year-old believes nobody remembers the losing finalist and feels it is the winner's trophy or nothing after progressing that far at a Grand Slam.
"I think when you get to the point of the finals, it's trophy or nothing. Nobody remembers the finalist. Nobody puts next to the winner, the finalists name. (laughs) At this point, I go for titles."
Sabalenka balanced that brutal honesty by saying she is proud of reaching three consecutive Australian Open finals and realizes how significant an achievement that is.
"Of course, I have to be proud of myself for the three finals in a row. That's something crazy and I hope that next year I'll come back a better player and I'll hold Daphne(Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup awarded to the winner) one more time."
While the defeat was painful, Sabalenka did not play badly. She started the opening set slowly, but her level was high in the final two sets. Keys rose to the occasion and made the victory happen by seizing her opportunities.
Sabalenka has still unquestionably established herself as the best hardcourt player in the world. Last year's US Open champion has reached the last five Grand Slam finals on the surface. She won three and narrowly lost two of those finals.
It will be interesting to see how Sabalenka bounces back from the defeat. The world No. 1 lost her first match after last year's Australian Open at the Dubai Tennis Championships, struggling to refocus from her success in Melbourne.
Although it is impossible to be sure at this point, losing the final might help Sabalenka regain her footing quicker and make her more determined for the rest of the 2025 season. That could make life harder for other players.
Sabalenka's final defeat also means she only has a slim points lead over Iga Swiatek at world No. 1. However, the Pole will defend many points in the next few months because of winning five titles between February and June 2024.
