Aryna Sabalenka’s behavior after losing the WTA Finals to Elena Rybakina raised eyebrows after the world No. 1 came up short in the coveted tournament for a second time.
The 27-year-old, who defended her US Open singles title at Flushing Meadows in September and retained the world No. 1 spot ahead of Iga Swiatek, reached the final after beating Jasmine Paolini, Jessica Pegula, Coco Gauff, and two-time Grand Slam finalist Amanda Anisimova.
Sabalenka, a four-time Slam champion, isn’t shy to let her frustrations and emotions be known on and off the court, and Friday’s Tour Finals finale against Rybakina was no different. The 26-year-old Kazakhstani won 6-3, 7-6 in straight sets to clinch the title, which is still missing from Sabalenka’s trophy cabinet, alongside the French Open, Wimbledon, and Olympics singles championships.
After losing, Sabalenka’s decision to sit in her coach’s box raised eyebrows. It caught the attention of Jonathan Overend and Laura Robson, just after Rybakina delivered her post-match championship speech. Sabalenka also issued a tearful post-match interview. “Aryna Sabalenka is sitting in her coaching box surrounded by her team,” Overend said on Sky Sports.
“She also absolutely melted her racket before,” Robson added.
“It’s not dissimilar to her reaction at the French Open final when she left the court, and she has left the court again here,” Overend continued. “She has not gone backstage here as she did there, but she is sitting in her coaching box and she needs her friends and boyfriend is down there and her coach and support staff. They are really having to talk her through it. There is a lot of arm waving going on down there.”
Despite the result and the earlier tears, Sabalenka says she’s leaving Riyadh without any “disappointment” ahead of a crucial 2026 season. “Can we do this quickly? I want to go to the Maldives,” Sabalenka joked.
“Elena played amazing, that’s for sure and something that needs to be acknowledged,” pointed out the Minsk native. “In my case, I feel that I did my best today, it just didn’t work out.
“I truly believe there are many things I can be proud of, so I’m leaving this tournament with no disappointment. I’m leaving this tournament proud of myself and my work, of all the things I’ve been able to achieve alongside my team.”
“Sometimes there are players who are better than you, days when they are better than you,” Sabalenka continued. “How to recover after such a tough defeat? Well, you just have to keep going, nothing else.
“The bad thing about this season is that I lost almost all the important finals I played, so I’ll take advantage of the time in the Maldives to sit down, have a tequila, and reflect on this issue, analyze my behavior, my emotions, and focus on all the good things that have happened to me so far.”
“I just need to enhance my relationship with myself a bit more, so I hope to show that evolution next season,” concluded Aryna.