Elena Rybakina recently addressed comments made by Aryna Sabalenka following her defeat in the final of the 2025 WTA Finals. With her victory over the world No. 1 in the final in Riyadh, Rybakina improved her head-to-head record against Sabalenka to six wins and eight losses.
By winning the 2025 WTA Finals, Rybakina earned a prize purse of $5,235,000, a record for the largest prize money earned by a tennis player at a single event.
Elena Rybakina Makes Her Feelings Known on Aryna Sabalenka’s Remarks About Her After WTA Finals Loss
Rybakina began her 2025 WTA Finals campaign by defeating Amanda Anisimova in her first group stage match. She then went on to overcome Iga Świątek and Ekaterina Alexandrova in her next two group matches, advancing to the semifinals, where she eliminated Jessica Pegula. In the final, the former world No. 3 defeated Aryna Sabalenka with a scoreline of 6-3, 7-6(0), claiming her 11th WTA Tour-level title.
After her loss to Rybakina in the final, Sabalenka was seen breaking down in tears in front of her team while sitting courtside. She also made some harsh remarks, undermining and downplaying the Kazakh’s victory.
“Once a year even a stick shoots,” Sabalenka said.
Recently, in an interview with Tengri News, Rybakina was asked about her thoughts on Sabalenka’s comments made during the final in Riyadh. She expressed that she holds “good feelings” for both Sabalenka and her team, and therefore did not take the remarks to heart.
“They told me after the match, but it was in context. We’ve played with Aryna many times, and more than once this year, so I don’t really focus on it. I have good feelings for both Aryna and her team, so I don’t take it to heart, even if it was actually said to me,” Rybakina said (translated from Russian).
Meanwhile, on her way to the championship match against Rybakina at the 2025 WTA Finals, Sabalenka defeated Jasmine Paolini, Pegula, defending champion Coco Gauff, and Anisimova.
Rybakina and Sabalenka To Begin 2026 Season at Brisbane International
Rybakina and Sabalenka will kick off their 2026 season at the Brisbane International, scheduled to take place from Jan. 4 to Jan. 11, 2026. The WTA 500 hard-court tournament will be played on the outdoor hard courts at the Queensland Tennis Centre in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
Sabalenka will enter the tournament as the defending champion, having won the title this year. She was the top seed and began her campaign in the second round after receiving a first-round bye. In her opening match, she defeated Renata Zarazú and then overcame Yulia Putintseva in the third round.
In the quarterfinals, the World No. 1 eliminated Marie Bouzková and advanced to the final by triumphing over Mirra Andreeva in the semifinals. In the championship match, she defeated Polina Kudermetova with a scoreline of 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, securing her 18th career WTA Tour singles title.
On the other hand, Rybakina last competed at the Brisbane International in 2024, where she was seeded second and also started her run in the second round after receiving a first-round bye. She overcame Oliva Gadecki, Elise Mertens, Anastasia Potapova, and Linda Nosková to reach the final. There, she defeated Sabalenka 6-0, 6-3 to claim the title, claiming her sixth WTA Tour title.
Sabalenka is nothing but a.bus head bully