Australian Open 2023: Star calls for rivals sports to follow tennis’ prizemoney lead
Melbourne Park semi-finalist Aryna Sabalenka has urged rival sports to follow the Australian Open’s equal prizemoney lead.
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An all-Belarusian flagless final is on Aryna Sabalenka’s wish list as the No.5 seed called for rival sports to match the Australian Open’s lucrative prizemoney.
Sabalenka and fellow Belarusian Victoria Azarenka will light up Thursday night’s semi-final double-header at Rod Laver Arena as they attempt to make history for their country.
But Tennis Australia has banned Belarusian flag from Melbourne Park with Sabalenka and Azarenka forced to represent neutral flags due to their country’s involvement in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Australian Open semi-finalists will bank $925,000 while the runner-up will receive $1.625 million and the champion $2.975 million – the same prizemoney as the men.
“But I know some of the athletes (in other sports and) I know the prizemoney they earn,” Sabalenka said after progressing to the last four on Wednesday.
“What we are having (in tennis) is just unbelievable. This (prizemoney) is just next level. That’s why I’m saying, like, I’m really grateful for what they (Australian Open) done for tennis.
“I would say I wish that all sports would be paid like that. What other athletes doing, like that’s a lot of work, and it should be paid more.”
Sabalenka – the three-time grand slam semi-finalist – was banned from Wimbledon last year, along with Azarenka, for being Belarusian.
Sabalenka is 18-0 in sets won in 2023 after destroying Donna Vekic 6-3 6-2 on Wednesday. Vekic entered with a 5-1 record against Sabalenka but was no match for the Belarusian’s improved calmness.
“I lost those three semi-finals just because I wasn’t really calm on court. I was, like, overdoing things. I really wanted to get a slam,” she said.
“I was rushing a lot. I was nervous a lot. Screaming, doing all this stuff. Right now I’m a little bit more calm on court. I think I really believe that this is the only thing that was missing in my game.
“If I can keep stay that focus and that calm on court, I can get through it.”
Vekic wasn’t totally convinced by the standard Sabalenka played at during their quarter-final.
“It’s going to be a mental battle out there I think, as well, because I think also today she played some great points, but neither of us played an amazing level, especially in the first set,” Vekic said.
“There was a lot of mistakes. Both of us were struggling a little bit. She prevailed in the end. Then she played a lot better in the second set.
“I think looking right now, maybe a little bit later, but I don’t think it was a great level of tennis today. It was more of a mental battle out there, as well.”
DIFFERENT PATHS CREATE BLOCKBUSTER CLASH
- Scott Gullan
Elena Rybakina was still learning her craft at the Spartak Tennis Club when Victoria Azarenka won her second Australian Open title in 2013.
The Russian was only 13 and still 10 months away from playing her first ITF junior tournament when Azarenka was joining rarefied company by winning back-to-back titles at Melbourne Park.
Rybakina then turned pro in 2016, the same year Azarenka announced she was stepping away from the tour to have her first child.
These different life paths finally crossed for the first time at Indian Wells last year with Rybakina, who by that stage had changed nationality from Russia to Kazakhstan, taking down her more experienced opponent in straight sets 6-3 6-4.
That is the one and only meeting between the pair and there has been a lot of water under the bridge since then.
Rybakina, 23, has become a grand slam champion, winning at Wimbledon while Belarusian Azarenka, 33, has found her groove again after a couple of years in the wilderness.
“It will be a great match-up, we only played once last year and it was a bit of kind of a weird match for me,” Azarenka said ahead of Thursday’s semi-final clash.
“I’m looking forward to having that challenge again. She’s an incredible player, she won Wimbledon last year and I think maybe she had a little bit of up and downs but she’s a very good, solid player.
“Her ranking obviously doesn’t tell the full story. She’s very powerful. Big serve. She’s in the semi-final, so she’s obviously playing amazing. Had some really tough wins, good wins so it’s going to be a big challenge. I’m excited about that.”
Rybakina is seeded No.22 at this year’s Open because she didn’t receive anything for her Wimbledon success after the playing tours withheld points following the All England Club’s ban on entries from Russia and Belarus.
What she did get from taking down Ons Jabeur in the final was experience which she will be calling on against former world No.1 Azarenka.
“I think of course I got all the experience at Wimbledon, and it’s helping me now this time here in Australia and I know what to expect,” Rybakina said after she breezed past Jelena Ostapenko in the quarter-finals.
“For sure it’s just easier in this case after Wimbledon. I’m feeling good on the court and just really enjoying every match I’m playing here.”
Rybakina also took out No.1 seed Iga Swiatek in the fourth round with her big serve again the key - she has the most aces of the tournament.
“I’m happy with my serve. I guess everybody else needs to think if, in this aspect, they need to work more or not, because some girls, they are fine maybe not with the speed but they have good angles on the serve,” she said.
“They are opening the court. I think everybody is different, and everybody just trying to do what’s best for them on the court.”
Azarenka, the No.24 seed, revealed after her upset win over No.3 seed Jessica Pegula on Tuesday night. that a new mindset and overcoming a fear of failure was behind her resurgence.
“Fears of failing is a big one,” she said. ”To not be able to do what I want to do. So subconsciously sometimes it stops you from doing it.
“I think the point of being uncomfortable is scary. I‘ve had panic attacks before. For me to recognise the difference was a hard one.
“I worked a lot on my mindset and challenged myself on things I wouldn‘t really do before.”
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