The 2025 Australian Open had all the usual drama, and Aryna Sabalenka was right at the heart of it. Marching towards her third title in Melbourne, she came into the final like a woman on a mission. But then came Madison Keys. She was simply resilient, and, in Sabalenka’s own words, “playing like she had nothing to lose.” The result of this clash was a shocker. In a three-set battle, Sabalenka couldn’t stop the American. Final score? 6-3, 2-6, 7-5. A tough loss for Sabalenka, one that ended in a moment that fans won’t forget anytime soon.
In a fit of rage, Sabalenka threw her racket, and the crowd went into utter shock. She quietly made her way to the sidelines and sat with her head down covering it with a wet towel. This was a match where Sabalenka was bested, the world number 1 was edged, and learned lessons from the defeat. Reflecting back, she said of the act afterward. “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, be respectful.”
This is how the Belarusian is on the court mostly, fierce, competitive, aggressive, and most of all, hell-bent on winning. This mentality has delivered her 19 WTA titles, including three major titles. So, yes, Aryna might have failed that day, but she doesn’t take ‘loss’ as an answer. She explained further after the loss, “I think when you get to the point of finals, it’s trophy or nothing.”
But, do you know behind the ferocious competitor she is on the court, the opposite nature comes out when she is not raking up those points?
Take, for example, the recent story the tennis star posted on her Instagram handle. Let’s set the scene. There is a fruit basket with a lot of grapes, bananas, juices, oranges, and pineapples kept on the table. The basket sure looks inviting and anyone could be tempted to take one or two fruits from it. But, there is a note in the basket in ‘German’ saying “not for us“. Sabalenka picked a grape and started eating it and laughingly reacted with a message on her story, “Sorry, we don’t speak German“.
This shows us the funny, playful, and mischievous side of the player when she is off the court. And even though she cannot speak German, is definitely fluent in multiple languages. But even if she did know German, any excuse to eat some delicious grapes out of the ‘forbidden’ basket is acceptable, right? The world no.1 is not meaninglessly termed as ” a ray of sunshine” by the media. Her mischievous and playful acts continue to amaze us off the court. But on the court? Well, that would be a whole different story.
Redemption arc for Aryna Sabalenka
Sabalenka just came after winning the esteemed Miami Open after beating Jessica Pegula in the final by 7-5, 6-2. This was the third tournament after her defeat against Madison Keys. Before Miami, she was, however, bested by Mirra Andreeva in the India Wells Open, who clinched the title.
Sabalenka’s showing in the Miami Open was particularly spectacular as she defeated Zheng Qinwen, who is considered a rising talent with a big game. And then faced Jasmine Paolini, whom she also defeated. This was her first Miami Open title and has widened the gap between her and the second-ranked Iga Swiatek. The tournament has started the redemption of the Belarusian after facing losses in two consecutive finals.
Pegula described the ‘another-level’ game Sabalenka played. “I feel like she just keeps coming up with raising her level in key moments of the match when she needs to, that was the big difference today and the last few times I have played her.”
She added, “I think her movement’s gotten a lot better, and then she added more slice, drop shots — she’s gotten kind of better at those intangible shots. Everyone talks about her aggressive style of play, which is for sure, but I think it’s more of her being able to mix in the other intangibles that makes her aggressive gameplay even more successful.”
Sabalenka will now play in the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart and that’s the reason she is in Germany right now. The tournament will start on April 14th and will advance till April 20th. She has been training well in Stuttgart as she is posting regular updates about it on her social media handles. She will start her tournament in the round of 16 and will look to make another statement after her win in Miami.
The post “Sorry…,” Aryna Sabalenka Apologises Cheekily Sneaking Into the Basket “Specifically” Not for Her appeared first on EssentiallySports.