Aryna Sabalenka’s angry reaction during the US Open final has earned her a fine, but organisers have opted not to punish Venus and Serena Williams for their failure to attend a post-match press conference.
Four-time Grand Slam winner Sabalenka cut a frustrated figure for most of the match against Elena Rybakina and she lost her cool several times during and after her three-set defeat.
The former world No 1 smashed a ball into the Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd after she was broken in the opening set on the back of a double fault, which earned her a code violation.
And that code violation has resulted in a $7,500 fine by the United States Tennis Association, but that won’t put a dent in her earnings as she received a cheque of $2,800,000 for finishing runner-up.
But that incident was far from her only act of frustration during the final as she also angrily hit a ball to the back of the court and nearly hit a cameraman.
US Open News
Shortly after the completion of the match and the traditional handshake at the net with Rybakina, Sabalenka returned to her bench and smashed her racket several times while she also told a cameraman to “f*** off” while waiting for the post-match presentation ceremony to start.
The Belarusian, though, was only fined for the code violation.
Williams Sisters Go Unpunished
Meanwhile, tennis greats Venus and Serena escaped a fine despite not speaking to the media after their first-round defeat in the women’s doubles.
The duo received a wildcard entry into the season-ending Grand Slam with Serena playing at Flushing Meadows for the first time since 2022, but they suffered a three-set defeat to Chan Hao-ching and Maya Joint.
The post-match press conference is obligatory at majors, but the Williams sisters didn’t face the media with the USTA simply stating after the match, “Serena and Venus Williams will not be available for press tonight.”
Biggest Fine
Luisina Giovannini received the biggest fine of the tournament as the Argentine was punished for her poor performance during the first round of qualifying, as it was deemed to be below standards.
The world No 204 faced Lucia Bronzetti and slumped to a 5-0 defeat before retiring after 17 minutes. The end result was a $20,000 fine, which is a heavy price as she earned only $32,000 for reaching the qualifiers.
Corentin Moutet is the only player to receive two fines with the Frenchman earning a $10,000 penalty for failing to adhere to the dress code/equipment rules and another $5,000 fine for smashing his racket.
