"I'm getting old" - Aryna Sabalenka breaks down in tears in emotional scenes after crushing loss to Elena Rybakina at WTA Finals

On Saturday, November 8, Aryna Sabalenka was dealt a crushing loss in the WTA Finals as she fell short against Elena Rybakina in straight sets. After the match, the Belarusian broke down in tears when she spoke to her team.

Sabalenka enjoyed a strong campaign at the WTA Finals. She began her week in Riyadh with a straight sets win over Jasmine Paolini, before successfully ousting Jessica Pegula and Coco Gauff to go undefeated in the round robin matches. For her semifinals encounter, the 27-year-old defeated Amanda Anisimova, but she wasn't able to carry this momentum through to the finals, where she lost to Elena Rybakina 3-6, 6-7.

In her speech after the finals, a visibly emotional Aryna Sabalenka broke down in tears as she thanked her team, saying,

“I guess I'm getting old, I'm getting really sensitive. Yeah but so many things to be proud of and yeah, thank you guys.”

In a separate video, Sabalenka could also be seen in tears as she spoke to her team in the immediate aftermath of the match:

Aryna Sabalenka congratulates Elena Rybakina and thanks Saudi audience after WTA Finals runners-up finish

Sabalenka and Rybakina at the WTA Finals 2025 (Image Source: Getty)

For Aryna Sabalenka, the WTA Finals marked the end of an incredible season. After her defeat in the finals, the Belarusian thanked the audience and extended her congratulations to Elena Rybakina, saying in her on-court speech,

“Thank you guys for an incredible atmosphere the whole week. I really enjoy playing in front of you. Thank you so much for the support today especially maybe not the best performance but yeah Elena you were definitely a better player today. You literally smashed me out of the court. So very very well done. Happy to see you playing your best tennis. A nice comeback at the end of the season and now it's time to enjoy our off season and enjoy this beautiful trophy.”

She went on to thank the tournament organizers in Saudi and expressed her gratitude at being able to be a part of the growth of tennis in the country, saying,

“Thank you everyone who brought this tournament here in Saudi. I'm happy to be part of the process of growing tennis in this beautiful country. Thank you so much. Thank you again. And thank you to everyone who helped me during this week. I really enjoyed my time.”

Despite her loss in the summit clash at the WTA Finals, Aryna Sabalenka will end the year as the World No.1 for the second time in a row.

Edited by Riddhi Acharya