Aryna Sabalenka’s furious reaction to US Open final defeat captured in locker room footage
Several people have criticised the behind-the-scenes coverage.
Behind-the-scenes footage captured Aryna Sabalenka’s furious reaction to her US Open final defeat against Coco Gauff on Saturday.
Teenage sensation Gauff delivered an incredible performance inside the Arthur Ashe Stadium as she came back from one set down to beat Sabalenka and secure her first-ever Grand Slam title.
Sabalenka cut a frustrated figure and the 25-year-old acknowledged that during her post-match interview, saying: “It was more about me than her, I lost this match.”
Understandably, the Belarusian was visibly upset on Saturday and footage of Sabalenka returning to the locker room revealed just that.
Cameras caught her grabbing a spare racket from her bag and smashing it against the wall before throwing it in the bin.
Une pensée émue pour la pauvre raquette d'Aryna Sabalenka, battue en finale de l'#USOpen par Coco Gauff 🙏 pic.twitter.com/WJmA2TSUtW
— Eurosport France (@Eurosport_FR) September 10, 2023
While the reaction isn’t anything new, the video has sparked debate with some questioning why a private area of the court should be filled with cameras for the public to see.
Judy Murray – mother of Andy and Jamie – was one of those to call out the access-all-areas footage, saying: “This footage should never have been made public. A private moment in an empty training room after the disappointment of losing a Grand Slam final.”
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