Aryna Sabalenka could not hold back her tears during her runner-up speech after losing to Elena Rybakina in the WTA Finals final. The Belarusian won all of her round-robin fixtures and beat Amanda Anisimova before suffering a straight-set defeat to the Kazakh.
Aryna Sabalenka’s Emotional Moment During WTA Finals Runner-up Speech
Sabalenka was one of the favorites entering Riyadh and did well to win the final. However, Rybakina was too good for her as she won 6-3, 7-6(0) to clinch her third title of the 2025 season and return to the top five of the WTA rankings.
During her runner-up speech, Sabalenka became emotional and became tearful while addressing her team. The Belarusian also joked about becoming sensitive because she was getting older.
“Not the result we wanted today but so many things we…. I guess I’m getting old, I’m getting really sensitive. So many things to be proud of and…. yeah, thank you guys,” Sabalenka said before concluding her speech.
Aryna Sabalenka fighting back tears while speaking to her team after losing to Rybakina in WTA Finals final:
“Not the result we all wanted today but… I guess I’m getting old. I’m getting really sensitive. 😂 So many things to be proud of.” 🥹
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) November 8, 2025
The World No. 1 also heaped praise on Rybakina for her performance during the match and said that she was happy to see the Kazakh back to her best.
“Elena you were definitely a better player today. You literally smashed me out of the court so very well done, happy to see you playing your best tennis. Nice comeback at the end of the season and now it’s time to enjoy our off season and enjoy this beautiful trophy,” Sabalenka said.
Sabalenka Yet to Lay Her Hands on WTA Finals Title
The World No. 1 has already had an impressive career, winning several Grand Slams and WTA 1000 titles. However, she is yet to win the WTA Finals from five appearances so far, with her best performance being reaching the final twice.
Before 2025, the Belarusian made it to the title clash in 2022 after defeating Iga Świątek in the semifinals. However, here she suffered a 6-7(4), 4-6 defeat to Caroline Garcia in the final. Sabalenka endured semifinal exits in 2023 and 2024 while failing to make it to the knockout stages in 2021.
The Belarusian ends her 2025 season with 63 wins out of 75 matches, winning four titles, namely, the US Open, the Miami Open, the Madrid Open, and the Brisbane International.
