WATCH: Aryna Sabalenka breaks down in tears after joking with her coaching team as she finishes runner-up in the 2022 WTA Finals


WATCH: Aryna Sabalenka breaks down in tears after joking with her coaching team as she finishes runner-up in the 2022 WTA Finals

Aryna Sabalenka

Aryna Sabalenka‘s season comes to an end with a defeat in the finals of the 2022 WTA Finals. The Belarusian was looking to clinch the year-end championships after defeating odds favorite and World No. 1 Iga Swiatek in the semi-finals. Caroline Garcia however turned out too strong for Sabalenka.

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In a closely fought match between the two players, Garcia won the match 7-6(4), 6-4. The match went on for 1 hour and 41 minutes with the first set itself crossing the 1-hour mark. While Sabalenka’s double faults posed a problem for her once again, she conceded just 1 break point which eventually separated the two players.

Upon receiving the runners-up trophy, Sabalenka was asked for a small address to the crowd. During her speech, Sabalenka jokingly took a dig at her coaching team for her double faults misery that has kept her back throughout this season. She however couldn’t continue the joke for a long time as she got emotional and started choking up.

“I’m not gonna say thank you to my team because of so many double faults. You are such a bad team. No, no, I am joking. Thank you so much for being with me.. (chokes) it’s happening. It’s been a challenging year for us, thank you so much for your support, thank you,” said Sabalenka.

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Also Read: “Impossible to imagine 5 months ago” Caroline Garcia lauded by fans as she wins the 2022 WTA Finals defeating Aryna Sabalenka in the finals

Despite Aryna Sabalenka’s topsy-turvy season, she finishes inside Top-5 despite no title

Aryna Sabalenka - IMAGO / USA TODAY Network
Aryna Sabalenka – IMAGO / USA TODAY Network

Briefly addressing where she lost the match in her post-match comments, Sabalenka said, “I just dropped my level for a little bit. On the tiebreak and the first game of the second set. That’s it. I did my best, [but] she played unbelievable tennis.”

Sabalenka had lost in the group stages at the 2021 WTA Finals but still finished the season as the World No. 2. With big hopes for her 2022 season, the Belarusian couldn’t fulfill them as she lost in early rounds and did not reach a Tour final till the 2022 Stuttgart Open in April to Swiatek.

Her second and last final of the season came in the s’Hertogenbosch but she was unlucky to lose it. What followed then was better consistent results but no title came for her. With her second consecutive run to the semi-finals of the 2022 US Open, she saved her points of last year but her wait for a maiden major continues.

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While she suffered some shocking defeats this year and failure to win a silverware, Sabalenka finishes the year inside the Top-5. She had slipped down to as low as World No. 8 during the clay season, but a small revival and better consistency in the second half sees her finish the year as World No. 5 owing to her finals run at the year-end championships.

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