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Aryna Sabalenka’s emotions boiled over after she lost her chance at a U.S. Open three-peat.
After she fell to Elena Rybakina in three sets on Saturday 6-4, 5-7, 6-2, Sabalenka went to sit with her team in their corner of the Arthur Ashe court. However, to her dismay, a camera operator followed her and he got the brunt of her hot temper.
Following an annoyed reaction when realizing she was on camera, Sabalenka could be seen telling the camera person to “f–k off.”
The video immediately went viral across social media, and fans jumped into the comments to condone the four-time Grand Slam champion.
“Her attitude is horrendous,” an X user commented.
“Great role model for the kids. Grow up,” another added.
“I’m so glad she lost. I don’t give af how good she can be. Can’t stomach her,” a third posted.
“Sore loser. The mask always slips,” another chimed in.
Moments before, a broadcast camera caught Sabalenka sitting on the bench and smashing her racket, breaking it and tossing it to the side.
While Sabalenka was finding answers to Rybakina’s stunning play in the second set, she grew emotional and it only continued into her collapse in the third set.
The 28-year-old was seen talking to herself, making movements with her racket and body and rolling her eyes in frustration on the court.
She was chasing a three-peat and fittingly lost it to Rybakina, who took over the world No. 1 ranking from Sabalenka during the tournament after advancing to the semifinals. Sabalenka would have become the first woman since Serena Williams (2012-14) to win three consecutive titles at the slam.
The heavy emotions carried into the trophy ceremony, where Sabalenka admitted, “That’s the last thing I want to do right now is give a speech, but I’ll try my very best.”
“It’s really tough to control your emotions when you lose in the final of the Grand Slam and when you were trying to go for three-peat,” she told reporters in a post-match press conference. “So I just wanted to let it go, because if I would hold it inside, right now or here or there on the court, I wouldn’t be able to say a word or I would just go not really nice over there.
“So I just wanted to let all of that aggression and disappointment go outside.”
It was the second time this year that Rybakina bounced Sabalenka from another Grand Slam title, taking her down at the Australian Open final in January.
English (US)