Aryna Sabalenka has been fined a total of $7,500 by the United States Tennis Association (USTA) following her outbursts during the women’s singles final against Elena Rybakina. This fine relates to a warning and a code violation she received during the match, and is relatively minor compared to the $2.8 million prize money she earned from the tournament.
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The first incident of Sabalenka’s frustration occurred in the opening set after she was broken by Rybakina. She reacted by hitting a tennis ball into the crowd, leading to an official warning for ball abuse. Later in the match, she struck a ball in anger toward the back of the court, narrowly missing a camera operator.
After Rybakina won the third set and the match, Sabalenka shook her opponent’s hand, but returned to her area and smashed her racket into the ground multiple times. She was also reported to have yelled expletives at a nearby camera operator prior to the trophy presentation.
While the USTA fined Sabalenka only for racket abuse, both the warning and code violation were prompted by her conduct on the court. Ball abuse includes intentionally hitting a ball into the stands, while racket abuse entails smashing, throwing, or breaking a racket in frustration. Additionally, using audible obscenities in professional tennis can lead to a code violation.
In a post-match interview, Sabalenka somewhat justified her actions, stating, “I wanted to let all of that aggression and disappointment go outside. It’s really tough to control your emotions when you lose in the final of the Grand Slam.” She also acknowledged Rybakina’s performance, saying, “I'm obviously not really happy with the level I played today, but she served incredible. She played really aggressive, great tennis. Yeah, she was simply a better player today than me.”
Sabalenka’s history of on-court anger contributes to the virality of her recent outbursts. She previously destroyed a racket during the 2023 US Open after losing to Coco Gauff, and threw her racket in anger after losing to Madison Keys in the Australian Open final last year. Generally, her past behavior has garnered criticism or match warnings rather than significant fines.
Critics have noted that other prominent players, such as the Williams sisters and Novak Djokovic, were not fined for their behavior during the US Open, while multiple players received fines for various code violations, including racket abuse and unsportsmanlike conduct.