Aryna Sabalenka declares 'I'm p***ed off' after Amanda Anisimova broke golden rule

Aryna Sabalenka admitted that she was "p***ed off" after a tense exchange with Amanda Anisimova during their Wimbledon semi-final. The American got the better of the world No. 1 but only after breaking a golden rule when she refused to apologise late in the match for getting the benefit of a net cord ripple.

Anisimova upset the top seed 6-4 4-6 6-4 to reach her first Grand Slam final, to be played against Iga Swiatek after her win over Belinda Bencic, but upset her opponent after their tense exchange on court. Typically when a player hits the net and it bounces over to the other side, winning them the point, they offer apologies in acknowledgement that they got lucky.

In the seventh game of the third set, Anisimova celebrated by punching the air rather than offering an apology in the form of holding her racket or arm up. The 23-year-old clenched her fist and Sabalenka stared her down as they walked to the chairs in the change of ends.

The first-time finalist also appeared to celebrate winning a point before it had passed Sabalenka. When asked if she felt there could have been a possible hindrance call, the Belarusian said: "Yeah, I was just trying to chase the ball. Yeah, she was already celebrating it. I was, like, I mean, that's a bit too early. Then she kind of p***ed me off saying that, oh, that's what she does all the time.

"I was grateful that she actually said that because I was, like, it actually helped me to keep fighting. I'm like, okay, now I'm going to show you the tennis. So I came back because I got really angry in that moment. So probably in the third set I should have, like, remembered, and you know, probably will help. It is what it is."

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On the moment where Anisimova failed to offer an apology, Sabalenka added: "I just look at her and, I mean, for sure she didn't hear me. I was like, You don't want to say sorry? She just wanted, I guess, badly to win this match.

"It's on her. If she doesn't feel like saying sorry, like she barely got that point and she didn't feel like saying sorry for that tricky situation, that's on her."

Sabalenka did give Anisimova a big hug in a warm moment after the match, played in temperatures of over 30 degrees, and conceded that her opponent was the better player on the day.

"I mean, losing sucks, you know?" A candid Sabalenka asked. "You always feel like you want to die, you don't want to exist anymore, and this is the end of your life.

"But then you sit there a little bit, and you think about what you could have done differently in the match. I mean, you see stuff where you weren't at your best in the match. You see that the other player performs much better. You kind of, like, can see things better.

"But the first moment is always the worst one because every time you compete at that tournament, and you get to the last stages, you think that you're getting close to your dream. Then you lose the match, and you feel like, okay, this is the end."