
The day after winning her first Grand Slam title , Aryna Sabalenka participated in the traditional photo session with the Australian Open trophy, the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup. The venue chosen by the champion was the Royal Botanical Gardens in Melbourne. The visit to the park also featured a gondola ride on the lake.
“I still feel like I’m on another planet, trying to understand what just happened. It’s so beautiful. Today is the best morning of my life,” Sabalenka told the press during the photo shoot. The tennis player wore a pink dress with floral details and blue shoes.
Champion, Sabalenka says she learned from defeats
Sabalenka, 24, won the title by beating Elena Rybakina, the reigning Wimbledon champion, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 in last Saturday’s final. Still undefeated in the season, with 11 straight wins and only one set lost, she will leave fifth place in the WTA ranking and return to second place, behind only number 1 Iga Swiatek.
Aryna x Daphne 🏆@SabalenkaA • #AusOpen • #AO2023 pic.twitter.com/HAjJLevNvl
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 29, 2023
🍾 Sabalenka Showers 🍾@SabalenkaA | #AusOpen pic.twitter.com/MTDbMFRnNz
— wta (@WTA) January 29, 2023