Sawt Falasteen - Melbourne champion Rybakina never doubted return to Wimbledon form

The 26-year-old Kazakh defeated world number one Aryna Sabalenka 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 in the women's final in Melbourne.

It was the fifth seed's second major title but came more than three years after her first.

Since then there have been inconsistent runs of form and injury or illness, especially in 2024.

But Rybakina has been the form player in women's tennis since the middle of last year and proved it by beating Sabalenka for the second time in a row.

"I always believed that I can come back to the level I was," she said.

"Of course we all have ups and downs... I thought maybe I will never be again in the final or even get a trophy, but it's all about the work.

"I think we've been putting a lot of work in with the team, and they were also very supportive.

"In the moments when I was maybe not that positive, they would be helping out on the side."

Rybakina, who lost the Australian Open final to Sabalenka three years ago, said she was able to enjoy this title more than Wimbledon.

"It is different feelings... Wimbledon was my first experience getting that far in the tournament, and I won straight away," she said.

She recalled "not sleeping well" and having so "many emotions... going through my head".

"It was really stressful. I think with the experience, with the years on tour, I learned a lot.

"Later on, of course, you have the same emotions. You want to win, but it's kind of different.

"I was managing to sleep well here, and that's a good thing."

Y.Zaher--SF-PST