Aryna Sabalenka missed out on a third straight Australian Open title (Image: Getty)
Aryna Sabalenka has been blasted for her outburst after losing the final to Madison Keys.
The back-to-back champion had been looking to become the first woman since the 1990s to three-peat the singles title and was the heavy favourite heading into last weekend’s final.
Instead, Keys sent a shockwave through the tennis world with a stunning 3-6, 6-2, 5-7 victory to secure her first-ever Grand Slam title.
Unable to contain her emotion after conceding the decisive point, Sabalenka was spotted by the television cameras sharing some choice words with her coaches, before repeatedly .
The momentary outburst didn’t last long, with Sabalenka eventually picking herself up from the canvas and offering her congratulations to the victorious Keys.
But former Grand Slam winner Rennae Stubbs believes the look wasn’t a good one, suggesting Sabalenka ought to have waited until she was behind closed doors to let out her frustration.
Speaking on the Rennae Stubbs Podcast, the Aussie said: “I think the reason why Sabalenka lost her mind after the match, which was not a good look, was that she thought the return was out [during the final game].
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Aryna Sabalenka lost to Madison Keys in the Australian Open final (Image: Getty)
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“When you see her reaction to her box, she basically says she thought the return was out which was why she lost her mind. But that was not a good look for her and breaking the racket was really not a good look for her.
“She is such a good loser normally, she is normally so gracious and she was gracious in the speech, but if there was one moment she would want to take back – it’s like you can’t take that moment away from Madison.”
Stubbs did receive some pushback from former WTA ace Andrea Petkovic, who was quick to defend the Belarussian.
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She said: “You live and you die by the sword that you swing and if we love Sabalenka for the emotions that she displays we have to take the bad emotions with it.
“We can’t have all the funny dances and the warrior in her without having the other part of it as well.”
She still managed to bank £1.5million from her run to the final and also strengthened her position at the top of the world rankings, with Sabalenka now just under 200 points ahead of world No.2 .