(In Pictures) Aryna Sabalenka Takes a Selfie with Rod Laver and Roger Federer After Starting her Australian Open Campaign
Aryna Sabalenka is aiming to reach a fourth consecutive Australian Open final.
Follow Us
In circle: Aryna Sabalenka taking a selfie with Rod Laver and Roger Federer (Image via Punto de Break/The Tennis Letter)
🔍 Explore this post with:
Aryna Sabalenka kick-started her 2026 Australian Open campaign with a straightforward win over Tiantsoa Rakotomanga Rajaonah. However, the main highlights came after the match.
In her post-match interview, Sabalenka was asked about playing in front of Rod Laver and Roger Federer, upon which she showed her excitement. Shortly after, she asked for a selfie, and her wish was granted.
Sabalenka taking a pic with Roger Federer and Rod Laver after her win at the Australian Open
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) January 18, 2026
Hard to get a more iconic selfie than that. pic.twitter.com/SkE17ueMfa
Laver and Federer were two of the main characters of the Australian Open opening ceremony a day earlier. The Swiss Maestro was given a special send-off to celebrate his remarkable career, with fireworks going off on top of the Rod Laver Arena.
Federer played the exhibition doubles match to start the opening ceremony alongside Andre Agassi, Patrick Rafter, and Lleyton Hewitt. The four players showed skills that were fundamental to their legendary careers, especially Hewitt’s audacious backhand volley that flew past Federer. Laver, although he didn’t play in the event, was there in the beginning to take a picture with all the players.
It should be noted that this is Federer’s first appearance at the Australian Open since 2020, where he lost to Novak Djokovic in the semifinals. The Swiss man is a six-time champion at the event, winning titles in 2004, 2006, 2007, 2010, 2017 and 2018.
Now back to the current stars, World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka successfully cleared her first test at the 2026 Australian Open, dispatching Rakotomanga Rajaonah 6-4, 6-1. The Belarusian is aiming to reach a fourth consecutive Australian Open final.
The top seed may have advanced in her first-round match at the Australian Open, but the match wasn’t as straightforward as the scoreline suggests. In fact, her opponent, Tiantsoa Rakotomanga Rajaonah, gave her a fight, especially in the first set.
Aryna Sabalenka passes first test at the Australian Open
It was quite a tight first set, as it remained on serve until the 9th game. In the 10th game, Sabalenka broke her opponent’s serve to complete the first set.
She got a dream start in the second set, breaking her opponent right away and advancing to a 3-0 lead. Shortly afterwards, the match was over as Rakotomanga Rajaonah could only win one more game. Sabalenka finished the match in one hour and 15 minutes. The biggest talking point of her performance was her return, as she won 42% and 64% return points on her opponent’s first and second serves.
Rakotomanga Rajaonah started off really well, winning the first three points on return to set up triple break points. Despite losing all of them, she broke first to get a dream start. However, the good news lasted only a few minutes as the World No.1 broke back right away.
After that, it was all about perseverance and fight. Sabalenka had opportunities to break at 4-3, but the French ace saved break points to make it 4-4. Despite holding game points at 4-5, Rakotomanga Rajaonah couldn’t get the job done and was broken in the 10th game, relinquishing the first set.
Despite the loss, Rakotomanga Rajaonah has reasons to be proud of her performance. Meanwhile, Sabalenka is moving on in her bid to win a fifth Grand Slam singles title.
Additionally, she is eyeing a third Australian Open title and hoping to avenge last year’s final defeat to Madison Keys. The Belarusian has not lost to the American ever since, including a straight-set win at the Brisbane International earlier this year.
/techfirstnow/media/agency_attachments/kATjCXskQdJKkXN0OuqW.png)