Aryna Sabalenka and Coaching Crew Under Fire after Video Shows Them Pretending to Urinate on Australian Open Runner-Up Trophy [WATCH]

Fans have gone furious and are slamming Aryna Sabalenka and her coaching crew after a video surfaced allegedly showing them imitating urinating on her Australian Open trophy. The world No. 1 was heartbroken following her 6-3, 2-6, 7-5 loss to Madison Keys in the women’s singles final.

However, it’s her behavior both during and after the match that has caught the eyes of her fans. The loss ended Sabalenka’s bid for a third straight Australian Open title, having previously won the tournament in 2023 and 2024. For Madison Keys, the win was a stunning upset, marking her first Grand Slam final appearance since 2017 and her maiden Major title win.

In Bad Taste

After the match, a video circulating on social media appeared to show Sabalenka and two members of her coaching crew jokingly mimicking urinating on her runner-up trophy. In the footage, Sabalenka, along with her boyfriend Georgios Frangulis and fitness coach Jason Stacy, can be seen laughing while performing pelvic thrusts over the trophy, which was placed on the ground.

The incident did not go down well with her fans, many of whom took to social media to slam the behavior, calling out the actions as disrespectful.

“Isn’t that disrespectful,” one fan posted on X, formerly Twitter, while another slammed her and commented: “What disgusting and disrespectful actions. They deserve an explanation and public apology for this terrible gesture.”

Another fan wrote: “So not OK. Even if they’re joking.”

Unlike a Competitor

Sabalenka expressed her lack of interest in settling for second place, despite making it to yet another final in the tournament. She said: “I think when you get to the point of finals, it’s trophy or nothing,” she said.

“Nobody remembers the finalist, you know? Nobody put, like, next to the winner (the) finalist name. At this point, yeah, I go for titles. Of course, I have to be anyway proud of myself with the finals, three finals in a row. That’s something crazy.

“I hope that next year I’ll come back as a better player, and I’ll hold Daphne (the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup) one more time.” However, fans were not convinced by her explanation and continued to criticize her actions.

One wrote: “I’m glad she didn’t win,” while another added: “Wow… so disrespectful.’ A third posted: ‘No class, disrespectful from Sabalenka and team.”

The Belarusian faced a challenging raod to the final, overcoming her close friend Paula Badosa in the semi-finals. However, she fell short of finding the strength needed to beat one of the game’s most powerful players.

Sabalenka was overcome with emotion after her final loss, breaking into tears under her towel and smashing her racket in frustration.

After congratulating Madison Keys, Sabalenka hid her face in her towel in front of the 15,000 spectators at Rod Laver Arena before quickly heading to the locker room.

For Keys, this marked her first Grand Slam final appearance since 2017 and her maiden Major title, delivering a surprising upset against the heavily favored Sabalenka.