"Thank you to my team for always being there, for enjoying me losing finals": Aryna Sabalenka takes humour from back-to-back Australian Open final losses
WTASaturday, 31 January 2026 at 12:32
World number one Aryna Sabalenka admitted she was “really speechless” after the 2026 Australian Open final, as she addressed the Rod Laver Arena crowd following her defeat in Melbourne.
Introduced on court as a player whose “fight and determination are to be admired”, Sabalenka once again brought her trademark power and presence to the Australian Open stage, but fell just short in the final to a certain Elena Rybakina who produced an incredible late surge to deny Sabalenka.
Struggling to put her emotions into words, Sabalenka began by acknowledging her opponent’s achievement. The Belarusian went from being the queen of Melbourne winning two in a row to falling short in back-to-back finals. She lost last year perhaps more surprisingly to Madison Keys with this time around a bit less of a shock with Rybakina winning the WTA Finals recently and being one of the form players in women's tennis.
But being World No.1 and the imperious top player in the sport on paper, Sabalenka not being able to claim her hat-trick is one that will likely sting for a while to come.
Sabalenka pays tribute to Rybakina and Craig Tiley
“Honestly guys, I’m really speechless right now,” she said on court. “I’ll try not to forget anything. I want to start with Elena. I want to congratulate you on an incredible run, incredible tennis. Congrats to you and your team on such an incredible achievement.”
Sabalenka then turned her attention to the tournament and the Melbourne crowd, speaking warmly about her connection with the Australian Open.
“Of course, thank you to everyone who made this tournament possible. I love being here. I love playing in front of you all,” she said. “You guys are incredible support. I’m always looking forward to coming and playing in front of you and, well, let’s hope maybe next year is going to be a better year for me.”
She also paid tribute to tournament staff, singling out Craig Tiley for his role in looking after the players. “Of course, thank you. Thank you, Craig, for taking the best care of us. You give everything we need and that’s… what’s that? That’s amazing. Thank you,” she said, prompting a warm response from the crowd. “I love you guys too. Thank you.”
Sabalenka closed her speech by thanking her team, offering a characteristically honest reflection on the highs and lows of finals week.
“Of course, thank you to my team for always being there, for enjoying me losing finals — but also sometimes we win them, so let’s hope for the best,” she said. “Let’s hope that next year is definitely going to be ours, right?”
She finished with a final message of appreciation to the Melbourne crowd. “Yeah, thank you everyone. Thank you.”
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- Those Doping Agents are controlled by the American Government. It an American players test is hot, they are going to sweep it under the carpet.
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- Sabalenka should ignore that nonsense and continue doing what she does. The sport of tennis has been corrupted by the American government. And America is the most racist country on earth. It is clear that some players are being targeted for discrimination based on their nationality. Screaming hasn't just start in tennis. Sharapova, Serena, etc. always did scream and nothing was said. You cannot control ignorance.
- If she wants privacy, then she should quit tennis. The same thing happened to Sabalenka at the US Open after she loss the final, and no one was talking about privacy. Instead they criticized Sabalenka. Anyone who knows Gauff is well aware that she is a sore loser and cannot control her anger after a loss. You cannot tell someone where to place their cameras. She needs to separate herself from her parents and GROW UP. She is 21 years old.
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- She never ever screams in practice. Not ever.
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