The current World No. 2 in the WTA rankings Aryna Sabalenka recently made it to the final of the Stuttgart Open. Unfortunately for her, World No. 1 Iga Swiatek was too strong as she won the title. Apart from the prize money and the trophy, Swiatek also received a gorgeous new Porsche. However, Sabalenka’s hilarious action after receiving her runner-up trophy became the highlight of the post-match celebrations. It seemed like the Australian Open champion was about to break one of the Porsche’s windows with her runner-up trophy. Ultimately, she didn’t and walked away.
In a recent interview with Prakash Amritraj, Sabalenka looked back at the incident. She revealed her exact emotions at the time, which prompted her to do what she did.
According to Aryna Sabalenka, she was ready to ‘destroy’ Swiatek’s swanky new Porsche
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When Sabalenka walked past Swiatek’s new Porsche, it felt for a moment as if she would really land a crushing blow on the car. However, the smile on her face proved that she was only joking, and she quickly pulled out of her Porsche-destroying stance.
Aryna Sabalenka on pretending to smash Porsche after her loss to Iga Swiatek:
“I’m like I think I’m gonna lose another one. I don’t know, I think I’m gonna destroy this Porsche & pay the money. I don’t care” 😂
This woman is so charismatic & hilarious
Never a dull moment pic.twitter.com/q2YkXqm2yt
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) April 30, 2023
In the interview with Prakash Amritraj, the Belarusian opened up about the reason behind her action. Sabalenka said, “I’m like I think I’m gonna lose another one. I don’t know.” Sabalenka went on to say, “I think I’m gonna destroy this Porsche & pay the money. I don’t care.”
Sabalenka’s gesture may have come from a place of innocence and humor. However, for many tennis fans, it reflected the bitter disappointment that Sabalenka was going through at the time. According to them, Sabalenka did well to hide it initially, but when she was walking past Swiatek’s well-deserved Porsche, she lost control of her emotions for a second.
Iga Swiatek proved in Stuttgart why she’s the best in women’s tennis right now
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Swiatek went into the 2023 Stuttgart Open as the clear favorite. The Pole won the title in 2022 as well. For Sabalenka, it was the third final in a row, and she was desperate to end her dry spell in Stuttgart. Ultimately, though, Swiatek convincingly defeated Sabalenka in straight sets, and created a mind-boggling WTA record.
The 6-3, 6-4 victory was not just another WTA Tour title for Swiatek. It was also a statement of intent from the Pole going into the 2023 French Open. Following Swiatek’s dominant win over Sabalenka in Stuttgart, she is now surely the favorite for the French Open title. Only time will tell if Sabalenka gets her chance to avenge her Stuttgart defeat.
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