Novak Djokovic congratulates Aryna Sabalenka for winning 2nd Australian Open title, Belarusian responds

2024 Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka received a congratulatory message from Novak Djokovic after her triumph in Melbourne.

World No. 2 Sabalenka protected her throne Down Under by successfully defending her title from last year. The Belarusian defeated 12th seed Zheng Qinwen of China 6-3, 6-2 in the championship match.

Aryna Sabalenka received plaudits from tennis fans as well as her colleagues for her dominant feat. World No. 1 and 10-time Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic, too, congratulated the Belarusian for winning the trophy for the second consecutive time, that too without dropping a set.

Djokovic reposted an Instagram post from the Australian Open, highlighting the stat.

"Congratulations," the Serb wrote on his Instagram story, adding a tiger and trophy emoji.

Aryna Sabalenka promptly responded to the 24-time Grand Slam champion’s acknowledgement by saying:

"Thank you."

Djokovic also shared an encouraging message for the runner-up, 21-year-old Zheng Qinwen, for reaching her maiden Grand Slam final.

"Amazing tournament. More to come," he wrote.

Aryna Sabalenka and Novak Djokovic via Instagram stories

In her press conference after winning the title in Melbourne Park, Aryna Sabalenka emphasized that winning a second Major was important for her, to prove her consistency.

"It's been on my mind that I didn't want to be that player who wins it and then disappears. I just wanted to show that I'm able to be consistently there and I'm able to win another one," she said.

The 25-year-old has featured in the semifinals or better in her last six Grand Slam appearances. She has also reached the finals thrice within a year.

"I really hope that more, [I win] more than two [Grand Slams] right now, but for me [it] was really important. That's why, no matter what the result, win or lose, we are always working hard, we always looking for things to improve in my game," the former World No. 1 added.

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While Aryna Sabalenka successfully defended her Australian Open title, Novak Djokovic fell short

The Serb pictured at the 2024 Australian Open

Novak Djokovic’s 2024 Australian Open campaign was far from smooth sailing. The Serb was challenged from the get-go, as his first two opponents, Dino Prizmic and Alexei Popyrin, pushed him to four sets. He won his third and fourth-round matches against Tomas Etcheverry and Adrian Mannarino comfortably.

Djokovic yet again dropped one set in a hard-fought quarterfinal against American No. 1 Taylor Fritz. In the semifinal, the World No. 1 faced a formidable opponent in Jannik Sinner. The Italian knocked the veteran out of competition with a 6-1, 6-2, 6-7(6), 6-3 win, thus snapping his 33-match winning streak at the tournament.

The Serb fell two wins short of defending his Australian Open title from last year. He was in pursuit of a record 11th title in Melbourne Park, and a historic 25th Grand Slam overall.