Aryna Sabalenka explains her actions of destroying the racket after losing in the Australian Open final to Madison Keys

After heartbreaking loss to Madison Keys in the finals, Aryna Sabalenka misses out on her chance of an Australian Open three peat.

Aryna Sabalenka explains her actions of destroying the racket after losing in the Australian Open final to Madison Keys

Aryna Sabalenka smashing her racket (via X)

After a phenomenal 2024 season, ending as World No. 1 and a strong start to her 2025 season, winning the Brisbane International title, Aryna Sabalenka was the favourite to win the Australian Open 2025. This would’ve been her fourth Grand Slam title.

19th ranked Madison Keys produced a major upset at the Australian Open, defeating higher ranked players on her way to the finals including sixth seed Elena Rybakina and second seed Iga Swiatek. The American eventually defeated Sabalenka in three sets to claim her maiden Grand Slam title.

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​Sabalenka spoke about smashing her racket after losing the match, saying that there was an element of frustration there as she was “so close to achieve something crazy”. She described it as, fighting but it seemed like everything was going not the way she really wanted it to go. Throughout the tournament, Sabalenka could be seen very frustrated, especially everytime she lost a point.

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

Aryna Sabalenka via Australian Open Press Conference

Aryna Sabalenka also reflected on her performance in the finals. She acknowledged Madison Keys‘ aggressive play and expressed her frustration over not playing at her best.

Aryna Sabalenka misses out on her chance of an Australian Open three peat

Considering her performance, Sabalenka expressed her wish on starting the match with better movement and aggression to set up her game effectively. The first set was particularly difficult for the Belarusian, as she made quite a few double faults, ultimately losing the set to Keys 3-6.

Aryna Sabalenka
Aryna Sabalenka (via YouTube)

Sabelenka discussed her use of drop shots in the second set that worked well, with her winning the set 6-2. However she noted that in the third set, she could not find opportunities to use that tactic effectively due to the pressure Keys put on her.

Aryna Sabalenka missed her chance to be the first woman of this century to accomplish a hat trick of Australian Open titles. She had won her first Grand Slam title at the Australian Open 2023, defeating Elena Rybakina. In 2024, Sabalenka defended her title by defeating Zheng Qinweng.