Tennis icon Jimmy Connors has questioned whether Aryna Sabalenka is lacking “killer instinct” after her defeat in the Australian Open final.
World No 1 Sabalenka narrowly fell 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 to fifth seed Elena Rybakina in the women’s singles final at the Australian Open last Saturday, in a rematch of the 2023 final won by the Belarusian.
After dropping the opening set, Sabalenka broke to claim the second set, and a five-game streak saw her move to a 3-0 lead in the decider, only for Rybakina to win six of the final seven games and claim her second Grand Slam title.
Sabalenka has a comfortable lead at the top of the WTA Rankings and lifted the US Open title last September, but has now lost three of her last four Grand Slam finals.
The Belarusian was beaten in the 2025 Australian Open final by Madison Keys and the 2025 French Open final by Coco Gauff, with both matches narrow three-set losses for the 27-year-old.
Sabalenka held an impressive 3-1 record in Grand Slam finals before 2025 but now has a 4-4 record in such matches, while also losing to Amanda Anisimova in a three-set Wimbledon semi-final last summer.
Questions have been asked about the world No 1’s ability to get over the line in big matches, and eight-time Grand Slam singles champion Connors has now joined that conversation.
Speaking on his Advantage Connors podcast, the tennis great claimed that Sabalenka was “too good” to not be able to get over the finish line.
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He said: “Sabi, once again… I think she had 3-0 in the third, right? I might take a little ribbon for this, but I have to say it. You have to have that killer instinct.
“You got to, especially when you’ve got somebody in the finals like that, you got to get on top and you got to do everything you can to stay on top and keep the pressure on and cut down on your mistakes, and don’t give any points away and make your opponent earn everything.
“And I know she’s had bad luck in the past, losing a number of finals she maybe shouldn’t have. But up 3-0 in the third in a major like that… you got to close the deal. And she’s way too good a player to not be able to do that.
“She has in the past, don’t get me wrong. But to let a lead like that go — I want to see how she bounces back from that.
“She has in the past again, and she’s come through and won majors. But man, she’s got to get that killer instinct and when you have it, take it, grab it and get to the finish line.”
Sabalenka’s wait for a fifth Grand Slam singles title will now extend until at least May, when the French Open takes place in Paris.
The Belarusian’s loss to Gauff last summer was the first time she had reached the final at Roland Garros, having ended the reign of three-time defending champion Iga Swiatek in the semi-final.
After her Australian Open run, Sabalenka is currently set to return to action at the Qatar Open in Doha, the first WTA 1000 event of the season.
She is then set to compete at the Dubai Tennis Championships the following week, before the ‘Sunshine Double’ WTA 1000 events in Indian Wells and Miami.
Sabalenka is a two-time runner-up in Indian Wells and lost to Mirra Andreeva in the 2025 final, though will enter the Miami Open as the reigning champion, having beaten Jessica Pegula in the final last year.
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