Does Aryna Sabalenka deserve the abuse flowing her way after Australian Open defeat?

Kevin Palmer
Aryna Sabalenka at the Australian Open
Aryna Sabalenka at the Australian Open

Aryna Sabalenka has been the dominant world No 1 at the top of the women’s game for some time, but she has yet to win universal acclaim from tennis fans around the world.

The jovial, fun-loving Sabalenka is one of the brightest personalities in the women’s game, but some critics have suggested her brand of brutal tennis is less than appealing on the eye.

Her violent screaming every time she strikes the ball is another point of annoyance for her detractors and she came under fire once again after losing a magnificent Australian Open final against Madison Keys.

Sabalenka was accused of showing a lack of class as she smashed her racket violently after losing 6-3, 2-6, 7-5 against Keys, with former British No 1 Jo Durie unimpressed by her reaction.

“It’s a shame she did that,” said Durie. “I know that she is going for a third title and emotions are running high, but it takes something away from the moment for Keys.”

Sabalenka returned to court for the trophy celebration as offered up generous words for the new Australian Open champion.
“There definitely was a bit of frustration because I was so close to achieving something crazy,” she said.

“I just needed to throw those negative emotions at the end just so I could give a speech, not stand there being disrespectful. I was just trying to let it go and be a good person,” said Sabalenka.

“It’s OK. I mean, I’m the one who knows that after tough losses, there are good wins. So I’ll keep working and make sure that next time, if I’ll be in this situation, I’ll play definitely better.”

Sabalenka joked in her on-court speech that she hated her team and did not want to see them for a week, but amid the disappointment was pride.

“Of course, I have to be proud of myself with three finals in a row,” she said. “That’s something crazy. I hope that next year I’ll come back as a better player, and I’ll hold Daphne (the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup) one more time.

“I think when you get to the point of finals, it’s trophy or nothing. Nobody remembers the finalist.

“I give her credit today. She played well, she was the better player, she deserves it.

“Overall, I’m super proud. As I was saying before these finals, that I was able to achieve that many wins in a row at one Grand Slam, that’s crazy.

“That’s already something, you know? Anyway, when someone else is going to achieve the same, they’re going to say (my name) as the last player who was able to achieve it. It’s already something big.

“I’m just trying to stay positive right now, find something good, but that’s crazy.

“I couldn’t even dream, couldn’t even think about that a few years ago, that I’d be able to win that many matches in a row at one Slam.

“There is definitely something to be proud of and something I definitely have to improve and be better at.

“It’s always a process of these things to be proud and then to improve some stuff, which didn’t work well.”

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Sabalenka composed herself to deliver a charming speech on the court and while he frustration was still in evidence in her post match press conference, that simmering annoyance could still be seen under the surface.

That us understandable for a player who sets her standards so high and was expecting to win another title in Melbourne, especially when Keys beat her big rival Iga Swiatek in the semi-finals.

The great winners in sport tend to be the worst losers and when that moment of defeat arrived, Sabalenka simply couldn’t deal with the agony of her loss.

Sabalenka will be more than compensated by her status as the world No 1 when the updated WTA Rankings are released on Monday, with Keys up to No 7 in the rankings after the biggest win of her career.

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