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AUSTRALIAN OPEN: ARYNA SABALENKA VS SVITOLINA HANDSHAKE BAN EXPLAINED TO THE ROD LAVER CROWD

Australian Open organisers announce a handshake ban for Sabalenka vs Svitolina to prevent crowd boos at the Rod Laver Arena.

Australian Open: Aryna Sabalenka vs Svitolina handshake ban explained to the Rod Laver crowd
Sabalenka and Svitolina skip traditional net photos at Rod Laver Arena

Right before the women’s semi-finals at the Australian Open, the emcee on Rod Laver Arena made a pretty big announcement. World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka was about to play No. 12 seed Elina Svitolina, and both of them were waiting in the tunnel when the crowd heard there wouldn’t be a handshake after the match.

Since the war broke out in Ukraine, Ukrainian players have stopped shaking hands with Russian and Belarusian opponents. Russian and Belarusian athletes have also been competing as neutrals since 2022.

Svitolina has spoken out a lot about the war, and she doesn’t do the post-match handshake with Russian or Belarusian players. Things got a little tense when she beat Mirra Andreeva, the ninth seed, in the fourth round. Andreeva knew what was coming, so she skipped the net handshake, packed up her stuff, and left the court. Some fans booed, not understanding what was going on. Later, though, plenty of people jumped on X (the site formerly known as Twitter) to back Andreeva.

To avoid another round of booing during Sabalenka vs Svitolina, tournament organisers jumped in early. They explained the situation to the crowd before the match started.

“At the end of the match, there will be no handshake between the players. We appreciate your respect,” the announcer told everyone.

Sabalenka and Svitolina didn’t take any photos together at the net before their semi-final, either. Instead, each posed separately with the child mascot during the coin toss.

Sabalenka, world No. 1, is chasing her fifth Grand Slam and her third title in Melbourne. She’s made three finals in a row here, lost to Madison Keys last year, but took home the trophy in both 2023 and 2024.

On the other side, Svitolina is in her first Grand Slam final. This is her fourth time in a major semi-final but her very first at the Australian Open. She’s also locked in a return to the top 10, which she hasn’t seen since before she took a break in 2022 to have her first child.

NOVAK DJOKOVIC LANDS IN ATHENS AFTER HISTORIC AUSTRALIAN OPEN RUNNER-UP FINISH

After a historic loss to Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic returns to his family in Athens to reset for the 2026 tennis season.

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Novak Djokovic loses first-ever Australian Open final to unstoppable Carlos Alcaraz

After losing his first Australian Open final to Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic just wanted to see his family.

Djokovic landed in Athens on Tuesday, wrapping up two weeks away from home and marking his 38th appearance in a major final.

For the first time ever, Novak walked away from Rod Laver Arena with the runner-up trophy. At 36, he became the oldest finalist in Australian Open history, but Alcaraz stopped him in four sets: 2-6, 6-2, 6-3, 7-5. The match lasted just over three hours.

This was Djokovic's first tournament in more than two months, and even so, he showed why people call him a legend. He cruised through the first three rounds and reached the last 16 without much fuss.

In the fourth round, Jakub Mensik had to pull out with an abdominal injury, so Novak got a walkover and saved some energy for the big matches ahead. But things nearly fell apart a few days later. Lorenzo Musetti took the first two sets in their quarterfinal, and for a moment, Djokovic looked like he might be headed home early. Then, out of nowhere, Musetti retired in the third set, and suddenly Novak was through to his 13th Australian Open semi-final.

Next up was Jannik Sinner, the two-time defending champ. Djokovic had to dig deep. Twice he came back from a set down and eventually won 3-6, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 after more than four hours on court. He fought off 16 out of 18 break points and weathered over 70 winners from Sinner, proving that belief really does go a long way. At 36, he marched into his 38th major final.

Djokovic left everything on court against Alcaraz. He started strong, but the Spaniard found his rhythm and took control in the second and third sets, racking up five breaks. In the fourth, Novak saved six break points early on and kept pace, even earning a break chance at 4-all. Then he missed a forehand he’d usually make, and just like that, his shot at a fifth set slipped away.

Alcaraz broke late in the set and sealed the win, handing Djokovic his first-ever loss in an Australian Open final. Now, Novak’s taking some time off to be with his family. He’s expected back on court soon, probably in Doha, but right now, only he knows how his schedule will look.

WHO IS SAMUEL LOPEZ? MEET THE COACH BEHIND CARLOS ALCARAZ’S 2026 AUSTRALIAN OPEN GLORY

Discover the touching moment Carlos Alcaraz saw coach Samuel Lopez receive a trophy after his Australian Open victory.

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Samuel Lopez is the perfect strategic fit for Alcaraz

Carlos Alcaraz just pulled off something huge—he beat Novak Djokovic in four sets (2:6, 6:2, 6:3, 7:5) to win the Australian Open. With this win, he joins the legends of the Open era, becoming one of the rare players to snag at least one title at all four Grand Slams.

Here’s the wild part: Alcaraz is just 22. Actually, he turns 23 on May 5, so he’s still got plenty of time. This marks his seventh Grand Slam title already. For a bit of perspective, Djokovic had only one Grand Slam trophy at Alcaraz’s age.

Since he’d never won the Australian Open before, Alcaraz didn’t really know the drill for the trophy ceremony. His coach, Samuel Lopez, got a trophy too, which caught Carlos off guard—in a good way. Their partnership has clearly paid off.

Talking to the media, Alcaraz said he loved that coaches get recognised with their own trophy. He hadn’t seen that before and thought it was a fantastic idea, since a champion’s journey isn’t a solo effort. Watching Samuel Lopez get his moment meant a lot to him. “It’s wonderful, and when I saw him there, I was so happy because I know Samuel has been working toward this moment his whole life. For me, he’s one of the best coaches—if not the best—you can have on a tennis court today. For me, it was a magical and incredibly special moment: hugging him after the last point and also seeing him there, with everyone recognising what he deserves,” Alcaraz said.

Not everyone was convinced after Alcaraz split with long-time coach Juan Carlos Ferrero and started working with Lopez. Some experts doubted whether he could keep dominating the tour this year. But after Melbourne, it looks like Alcaraz isn’t going anywhere. Even without Ferrero, he’s still leading the pack.

With three more Grand Slams coming up this season, it’s shaping up to be a wild ride. You get the feeling that we’ll be watching Alcaraz and Sinner battling for the biggest prizes all year long.

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