Belarusian tennis player Aryna Sabalenka could face a fine for breaking her racket and swearing at camera operators during the US Open final, infohub.kz reports.
According to NUR.KZ, citing Yahoo Sports Australia, the athlete violated two Grand Slam tournament rules. After losing the final, she smashed her racket and then swore at operators who came too close to her.
Under Grand Slam rules, the maximum fine for a broken racket is $50,000, with the amount depending on the circumstances. The fine is usually much smaller, but Sabalenka could receive an additional penalty because this is not the first time she has committed such a violation. She also smashed her racket after the 2025 Australian Open final and broke several rackets in the locker room after the 2023 US Open final.
As for swearing at an operator, the fine for foul language typically ranges from $3,000 to $5,000.
Recall that Elena Rybakina won the season's final Grand Slam tournament. The result allowed her to top the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) rankings with 9,901 points. The Kazakh player made her debut as the world's No. 1 in singles. Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka, who lost to Rybakina in the US Open final, dropped to second place.
Immediately after the match ended, the Belarusian smashed her racket and then swore at operators several times, asking them not to film her. After the WTA rankings were updated, the Kazakh player officially became world No. 1.