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Tennis fans were left disappointed after several WTA players seemingly chose to wish Jannik Sinner on his Australian Open triumph, but did not extend the same greetings to Aryna Sabalenka.
Jannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka were crowned the men’s and women’s champion at the 2024 Australian Open. Sinner earned a 3-6, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-3 comeback victory against Daniil Medvedev, whereas Sabalenka bested Zheng Qinwen 6-3, 6-2.
It was the Italian’s maiden Grand Slam trophy, while the Belaurian lifted her second by successfully defending her last year’s title in Melbourne.
Both athletes were in exceptional form throughout their campaigns. Sinner dropped just three sets (one in the semi-final, and two in the final) en route to the title. Sabalenka, meanwhile, did not drop a single set across all her matches.
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Tennis fans and players alike congratulated the two champions on their triumphs. Fans, however, noticed a larger number of WTA players congratulating Jannik Sinner, while not commending Aryna Sabalenka.
Among them were players such as Emma Raducanu, Donna Vekic, Petra Kvitova, Marta Kostyuk, Sloane Stephens, Coco Gauff, Maria Sakkari, who publicly congratulated Sinner for his maiden Major.
Tennis fans did not take kindly to the seeming snub.
“What is it with the WTA girlies only congratulating Jannik? They don't give a f*ck about WTA I swear,” one fan wrote, reacting to Petra Kvitova’s message.
“I absolutely hate this! how can wta players expect the world to respect them when they don't even respect themselves,” another fan wrote.
Some women’s players, including Iga Swiatek, Victoria Azarenka, and Daria Saville, meanwhile, congratulated both winners.
“Yet Iga congratulates them both every time, queen actually,” one fan noted.
Here are a few more reactions from tennis fans:
Jannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka stay put on the ranking charts despite Australian Open 2024 win
While Jannik Sinner now has 2000 points to his name from his Australian Open win, he is still placed at his career-high ranking of World No. 4, which he first reached in October 2023.
Placed above the Italian are World No. 1 Novak Djokovic, World No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz and World No. 3 Daniil Medvedev. Djokovic, the 2023 champion, lost a considerable number of points after failing to defend his title, while the rest of the three players enjoyed a profitable run in Melbourne.
There has been no movement in the rankings of the top 4 players, but Carlos Alcaraz (9,255 points) is now inching closer to Novak Djokovic's (9,855 points) World No. 1 spot yet again, while Jannik Sinner (8,310 points) now has a fighting chance of reaching a new career-high of World No. 3 and replacing Daniil Medvedev (8765 points) in the coming months.
On the women’s side, Aryna Sabalenka, too, hasn’t moved up in the rankings chart. The Belarusian was defending the maximum points at the Australian Open, owing to her title win last year. She thus gained no points after her recent triumph.
World No. 1 Iga Swiatek (9,770 points), meanwhile, lost a few ranking points, having exited the tournament a round earlier (third round) than 2023. Sabalenka (8,905 points) will thus fancy her chances of dethroning the Pole yet again in the coming months.
