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Aryna Sabalenka may have won the Australian Open but if you look at her name on the trophy a key detail has been left off.
In her first final at a major, Sabalenka fought back from a set down to win an all-time classic women’s final over Elena Rybakina 4-6 6-3 6-4.
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She made five double faults in a rapid fire first set, but steadied the ship to play the best tennis of her career to fight back and win the next two sets.
Sabalenka and Rybakina put on an exhibition in power hitting in one of the best women’s finals in recent memory, and Sabalenka was just too strong in the end.
It’s a remarkable turnaround for the 24-year-old, who had a severe case of the serving yips in Australia 12 months ago that threatened to derail her career.
As is tradition, Sabalenka’s name was quickly engraved on the Daphne Akhurst Memorial trophy, but she didn’t realise it until midway through a post-match interview on the Channel 9 desk.
Sabalenka was answering a question when she looked at the trophy and spotted her name engraved alongside previous winners including Ash Barty and Naomi Osaka.
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She exclaimed: “Oh my god I already have my name! Wow. This is just actually unbelievable. “It’s all the stars. All those names.”
But as the TV cameras zoomed in on the trophy, you could see that unlike previous champions, Sabalenka’s country was not written in brackets like it was for Ash Barty (AUS) or Naomi Osaka (JPN).
Sabalenka is from Belarus, which is one of two countries along with Russia that are currently not being recognised by the ATP and WTA because of the invasion of Ukraine.
Ranking points weren’t awarded at Wimbledon last year because of the situation in Ukraine, which prevented Rybakina from climbing up the rankings like she deserved after winning the title there.
During the Australian Open players from Russia and Belarus didn’t have a flag next to their name on the graphics on the TV coverage, having to settle for an empty white space.
Sabalenka didn’t seem too fussed about the missing detail on the trophy, but it’s a sign of just how seriously the tennis world is taking the issue.
“I think everyone still knows that I’m a Belarusian player,” she said in her post-match press conference.
“That’s it. Will this be a big deal in my country:? I think so. I think people will be proud of me. But I think I will go back to Miami. I live there right now.”
Sabalenka also reflected on her first ever grand slam match at the 2018 Australian Open against Barty, where she was mercilessly booed for grunting during points.
Five years later and 12 months after her serve fell apart, she is yet to lose a match in 2023 and joked that Australia is now a happy hunting ground.
“My first Australian Open was against Ashleigh on the Rod Laver stadium,” Sabalenka recalled.
“I remember after the match thinking, ‘Oh my god I think I will never get it’. That’s crazy.
“I think Australia loves me (laughs). The support this week, I think because everyone remembers last year and everyone wants me to be better. I felt the support and it really motivated me a lot.”
Sabalenka hit 51 winners and won her seventh grand slam match in a row in which she drops the first set.
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