Aryna Sabalenka opened up about her emotional reaction after her heartbreaking loss to Madison Keys in the 2025 Australian Open final. The world No. 1 had been on the verge of making history by completing a rare hat-trick of titles at the tournament, but she fell just short, losing 6-3, 2-6, 7-5 to Keys, who captured her first Grand Slam title.
Sabalenka, visibly frustrated and devastated after the defeat, smashed her racket and left the court before returning for the trophy ceremony. In her post-match press conference, she explained that her outburst stemmed from being “so close to achieving something crazy.” She revealed that while she was fighting hard during the match, things weren’t going the way she wanted, and she needed to release her negative emotions to compose herself for the speech.
“There definitely was a bit of frustration because I was so close to achieve something crazy,” Sabalenka said. She emphasized that her intention was to remain respectful to both her opponent and the moment, stating, “I just needed to throw those negative emotions at the end… I was just trying to let it go and be a good person, be respectful.”
She acknowledged that Keys had played better on the day and deserved the victory. Sabalenka’s disappointment was clear, particularly given her dominant run in Melbourne, where she had won 20 consecutive matches and was attempting to become the first woman since Martina Hingis in 1999 to win three consecutive Australian Open titles. The only other legends to achieve this feat were Margaret Court, Evonne Goolagong Cawley, Steffi Graf, and Monica Seles.
When asked about her feelings on reaching the final, Sabalenka was candid, stating, “When you get to the point of finals, it’s trophy or nothing. Nobody remembers the finalist.” However, she expressed pride in her accomplishment of reaching three consecutive Australian Open finals and vowed to come back stronger next year in the hopes of winning the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Trophy again.
