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The tennis world is convinced that Aryna Sabalenka said “f–k you” to her rival Elina Svitolina immediately after booking her place in the Australian Open final on Thursday night.
The two-time champion was on fire as she registered a dominant 6-2, 6-3 victory over her Ukrainian rival.
But right after winning the final point of the match, she appeared to say “f–k you” under her breath as she celebrated her win.
Many hypothesised it may have been as a direct response to the Ukrainian player’s stance on Belarusian and Russian athletes.
Svitolina has spoken openly about the emotional toll of the invasion, previously stepping away from the sport in 2022 as she struggled to cope.
She now sees her platform as a way to keep Ukraine’s plight in the public eye and refuses to have photos with or shake hands with either Russian or Belarusian opponents, who she feels should be banned from playing tennis while the conflict is still ongoing.
And while it is unclear if Sabalenka definitely said “f–k you,” given it may have been something else in her native tongue, fans are convinced.
“Did I see it correctly that Aryna Sabalenka said f* you to Elina Svitolina after the match?” a prominent Australian fan account wrote on X, which was seen more than 20,000 times.
Debate raged in the comments over whether she could have said something else, but the overall majority were convinced it was nothing other than a stern “f–k you”.
Others saw the same on the broadcast and took to X.
“Sabalenka after beating Svitolina: ‘F* you’,” another wrote.
“Sabalenka has some words for Svitolina. F*** you,” account Athlete X added.
Yet while that is speculation, what is clear is that Sabalenka had nothing but praise for Svitolina post-match.
“About Elina [Svitolina], I felt like I didn’t have the opportunity to even say, great job,” said Sabalenka after her semi-final triumph when asked if she had anything to say to her rival.
“I have it now, so great job, great match, great player, amazing tournament.
“Yeah, she played incredible.”
The tense moment capped off a tournament already thick with political flashpoints involving Svitolina, who has repeatedly used her on-court platform to highlight the war in Ukraine.
Earlier in the event, the 31-year-old sparked fierce debate by drawing a cross on the TV camera after defeating Russian players Diana Shnaider and Mirra Andreeva, a gesture interpreted as “crossing out” Russian representation amid the invasion.
After demolishing Coco Gauff 6-1 6-2, she wrote a clearer message: “This is for you, Ukraine.”
Fans were split, one commented on Reddit: “Ugh. I can’t support Sabalenka’s opponent on this one. Her sponsor and her politicising even against a 17 yr old kid is something I can’t get behind.”
But many rushed to Svitolina’s defence, arguing her actions can’t be separated from lived reality. One post read: “It might not be ‘nice’, sure, but I cannot begin to imagine how Svitolina, Kostyuk, Oliynykova, Yastremska etc must be feeling … Whatever, war is horrible and evil and I pray for peace.”
Svitolina has been refusing to shake hands with Russian or Belarusian players and donating prize money to support children in Ukraine. After her loss to Sabalenka, she spoke emotionally about the perspective the war has forced upon her.
“I’m still disappointed that I didn’t go further, but I feel like I should not be allowed to really be sad,” she said.
“People are really living horrible and terrifying life in Ukraine, so I should not be allowed to really be sad, because I’m a very, very lucky person.”
The semi-final itself carried its own drama, with Sabalenka fired up by a rare hindrance call for her grunting early in the match.
“She really pissed me off, and it’s actually helped me and benefited my game,” Sabalenka admitted. “I was more aggressive.”
Despite the controversy, Svitolina’s Melbourne run marked the latest addition to a powerful return to the top 10 after maternity leave, while Sabalenka powered into yet another Australian Open final.
English (US)