Footage has emerged of Aryna Sabalenka smashing up her racket and throwing it away once she got off the court after the US Open final.

Second seed Sabalenka had a very strong run at the last Grand Slam of the year in New York. The Belarusian only dropped one set on her way to the final, ousting the likes of Daria Kasatkina, Qinwen Zheng, and Madison Keys along the way.

In the final, she faced sixth seed and home favorite Coco Gauff. Although Sabalenka started out strong, winning the first set 6-2, her American opponent fought back hard to win the match and her first Grand Slam title 2-6, 6-3, 6-2.

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Sabalenka releases anger

After her defeat, Sabalenka remained civil on the court, smiling through the tears and congratulating Gauff.

"I just want to say congrats Coco and I mean, you played unbelievable. Congrats to you and your team. You guys deserve this title, many more to come I'm pretty sure. I hope we're going to play many more finals," she said.

The 25-year-old also said that she wasn't 'super depressed' after her loss due to the fact that her overall success at the Slam means she will become World No. 1 in the WTA Ranking for the first time in her career when they are officially updated on Monday, September 11.

Nevertheless, Sabalenka still needed to let off some steam after an emotional match, and she did so off the court. The video posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, shows the player smashing her racket on the ground several times until it broke before walking over to the bin and throwing it away.

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Fans defend outburst and criticize release of footage

Several fans have responded to the video by expressing their understanding, saying that they were glad she waited for the victory ceremony to be over in order to vent her emotions.

"The woman has gone up in my opinion. Nobody knows what athletes go through. She put on a brave and dignified face at the ceremony. But inside she was screaming. Hope she wins again soon," wrote one.

Meanwhile, others expressed their anger at the fact that a clearly private moment was recorded on camera.

"It’s disgraceful they have cameras in there. Players should be able to do whatever the hell they like in there. It’s their one private domain on site. Leave them alone," wrote one.

"I’m not a big fan of these cameras, and I think players should probably start arguing for more privacy. Even gym stuff, which looks ‘fun’ and harmless is still a bit too much imo

I get tennis is entertainment and this is their jobs, but the mental toll this all takes…

That’s NOT to say I like to see racket smashes ON court, I definitely don’t," added another.

Olly 🎾🇬🇧

@Olly_Tennis_

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Oh wow. 😳 I never seen this. Sabalenka smashing her racket after yesterday’s final loss to Coco Gauff ☹️

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