WATCH: Sabalenka's Tongue Steals Show During Trophy Ceremony at Indian Wells
WTA
Aryna Sabalenka might be one of the most entertaining characters on the WTA Tour, and she showed it during the trophy ceremony after the Indian Wells Open final.
Sabalenka is one of the most interesting players on Tour, not just because she’s a fantastic tennis player. She can be quite silly and goofy at times, which makes her a very interesting player to follow both on and off the tennis courts.
Part of that goofiness was on full display during the trophy ceremony after the WTA 1000 event in Indian Wells. It was a fantastic final between two amazing players, with Elena Rybakina emerging victorious this time, winning the match 7-6(11), 6-2. These two contested the Australian Open final earlier this year, and it was Sabalenka who was able to win that one.
This final went the way of Rybakina, but Sabalenka was clearly in good spirits after the final. As the trophy ceremony was unfolding, the Belarusian player was pictured sticking out her tongue playfully towards Rybakina, which made everyone in attendance laugh.
Rybakina didn’t mind the gesture as she continued speaking about her opponent, praising her efforts both in this match and generally. That shows great camaraderie between these two players.
Sabalenka seems to be a player who gets along with most other players, most notably Paula Badosa, as they consider each other very good friends. The tongue steal stole the show during the trophy ceremony, but the match itself was the true show because it was a spectacular showdown.
After the match, Sabalenka spoke about the final, aware that she was close to another big trophy but just missed out.
"It's going to be in my head till tomorrow because there were so many points where I could play better and where I could handle myself better, especially serving for the set."
"There is no pressure on me. Why would I go for bigger serves? Just serve to the body and just play the point, you know? I was overhitting. This is just another lesson, and that's okay. I have nothing against that. I will learn. I will come back better."
