Aryna Sabalenka chokes back tears in emotional scenes after losing WTA Finals final

Aryna Sabalenka fought back tears during her on-court speech after losing the final of the WTA Finals to Elena Rybakina. The world No.1 suffered a straight-sets defeat to the 2022 Wimbledon champion as Rybakina made it 11 wins in a row with a 6-3, 7-6 (0) triumph in Riyadh. The Kazakhstani sixth seed nets a record £3.9million in prize money to go with the glory of winning the year-end tournament.

Sabalenka has still had a brilliant 2025, winning more titles than anyone else on the WTA Tour including the US Open plus three more events - the Brisbane International, Miami Open, Madrid Open. She also reached the finals of the Australian Open, Indian Wells, Stuttgart Open and French Open. But the Belarusian was moved to tears regardless after being bested by Rybakina.

She told the King Saud University Indoor Arena: "Thank you guys for an incredible atmosphere the whole week. I really enjoy playing in front of you. Thank you so much for the sport. Today especially maybe not the best performance. But Elena, you were definitely a better player today. You literally smashed me out of the court so... Very well done.

"Happy to see you playing your best tennis and a nice comeback at the end of the season. Now it's time to enjoy our offseason. Enjoy this beautiful trophy! Thank you everyone who brought this tournament here. I'm happy to be part of the process of growing tennis in this beautiful country. Thank you so much.

"Thank you everyone who helped me this week. I really enjoy my team here. Of course, last but not least. Maybe not the result we all wanted today but so many things we..." Sabalenka then had to compose herself as she became emotional.

She then smiled and laughed: "I guess I'm getting old. I'm getting really sensitive! So many things to be proud of. Thank you guys."

While first-time WTA Finals champion Rybakina, who ends 2025 with three titles, reacted: "Thank you so much. It's been an incredible week. I honestly didn't expect any result and to go so far, it's just incredible. I want to congratulate Aryna for being No.1 the second year in a row. It's an amazing achievement, it's incredible. Congrats to you and your team.

"Today was such a tough battle. Some moments I got luckier. It's tennis and I just hope we're going to play many more finals in big tournaments together. I would like to say thank you to the fans, to the crowd.

"It was an amazing atmosphere to play here, I'm enjoying it. Second year in a row, it's really amazing to be here. Thank you so much and thank you to Saudi Tennis Federation, the Minister of Sport and all the people who make this tournament possible.

"It's a really great tournament and I think we will enjoy our time here. Last I would like to thank my team. Not everyone is here but they always support, they always help. Thanks to my sponsors and family, everyone who is supporting me and by my side."