Sabalenka took the cup, but something is missing. “Key Detail”

Aryna Sabalenka (WTA 5th) defeated Yelena Rybakina (WTA 25th) 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 on Saturday to win her first Grand Slam singles tournament. Both tennis players eliminated Polish players on the way. Rybakina defeated Iga Świątek (1st WTA) in the fourth round of the tournament, and Sabalenka defeated Magda Linette (45th WTA) in the semi-finals of the Australian tournament. Winning the Australian Open is a reward for Sabalenka, who entered the courts in 2023 in excellent form.

Sabalenka took the cup, but something is missing

After the match, Sabalenka received the coveted trophy. During one of the interviews, when she put the cup on the table, she noticed that it had her name engraved on it. – Oh my god, I already have my name! wow. It’s just unbelievable. All these stars. All these names, Sabalenka marveled.

However, news.com.au reports that journalists have noticed a “key detail”. While Sabalenka’s name was engraved, there was no abbreviation for the name of the country next to them, which the portal decided to call a “brutal affront”. Tennis players from Russia and Belarus compete in ATP and WTA tournaments under a neutral flag after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

– I think that everyone still knows that I am a Belarusian player. Will it be a big deal in my country? I think so. I think people will be proud of me,” Sabalenka said at a press conference.

Alexander Lukashenka has already congratulated her on her success. The official telegram channel of the press service of the President of Belarus published a video in which he is seen celebrating the victory of his compatriot. More about it

Winning the Australian Open was Aryna Sabalenka’s twelfth WTA tournament triumph. In the latest ranking, the Belarusian will be the vice-leader and only Iga Świątek will be ahead of her. Świątek remains the last tennis player to defeat Sabalenka. It took place in December during the World Tennis League.