'Sore Loser' Aryna Sabalenka Blasted for Outbursts at US Open

Aryna Sabalenka’s quest for a third consecutive US Open title ended in heartbreak Saturday night when she fell to Elena Rybakina in a hard-fought three-setter at Arthur Ashe Stadium.

The loss dealt Sabalenka a triple blow: ending her US Open reign, guaranteeing a winless Grand Slam season and dropping her World No. 1 ranking to Rybakina.

Frustrated by the outcome, the Belarusian’s immediate post-match behavior drew severe backlash from fans and analysts alike. Notably, she smashed her racket on the court, launched a ball aggressively into the air/crowd (earning a code violation) and cursed at a TV camera operator barely seconds after losing to Rybakina.

Aryna Sabalenka Gets Called Out

Sabalenka was similarly criticized for destroying her racket in the locker room following her defeat to Coco Gauff in the 2023 US Open Final. However, her recent on-court behavior drew sharper rebuke. Brad Gilbert, Gauff’s ex-coach, believes Sabalenka’s immediate post-match reaction demonstrated a lack of respect for Elena Rybakina.

“Immediately upon losing the match, I know you’re frustrated, you go to your changeover and you’re sitting there, you know you’ve got to wait,” Gilbert told “The Big T Podcast” after her loss, via TennisHead.

“I don’t want to see a player break a racket, you know there’s a lot of kids that look up to her,” he continued.

“I don’t think that’s the place to break your racket and show disrespect to your opponent and then she kind of leaves the court a little bit to go and sit with her team.”

Fellow WTA player Ajla Tomljanovic suggested that surrendering the No. 1 ranking to Rybakina impacted Sabalenka’s mindset before she even stepped on the court, noting that she was emotional throughout the match — even during strong stretches of play.

Tennis writer Scott Barclay tried to see the positive in Sabalenka’s actions.

“Feel like she’s getting a bit of hate for it at the moment but I absolutely love the fact Sabalenka is so obviously an absolutely abysmal loser. She’s angry, bitter and upset and doesn’t try to hide it at all and the whole thing is highly entertaining to watch.”

Some fans weren’t as empathetic.

Aryna Sabalenka Justifies Actions

Sabalenka was asked to justify her controversial actions in her presser.

“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 a three-peat,” she said, via Daily Express.

“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.”

The four-time major winner gave Rybakina due credit, calling the Kazakh star the “better player” and the deserved winner.

“I’m obviously not really happy with the level I played today, but she served incredible,” she rued. “She played really aggressive, great tennis. She was simply a better player today than me.

“We have a great rivalry. We play a lot of great matches, great finals this season. Her serve is amazing, the way she able to step in and overpower you on court, and especially if it’s a US Open court where it’s super fast, definitely huge advantage for her. A lot of things makes her dangerous.”

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