New Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka didn’t get much sleep Saturday night after a rambunctious come-from-behind victory, but you wouldn’t have known it early on the morning after.

“I still feel like I’m on another planet trying to understand what just happened,” Sabalenka replied to a question from AFP while revelling in a photo shoot at Melbourne’s Royal Botanic Gardens.

Resplendent in a glamorous pink dress and wearing high heels instead of her usual tennis pumps, Sabalenka took to a boat and glided around a lake with the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup clutched firmly in hand.

The powerful Belarusian, who will become world number two on Monday, showed a new side to her personality, posing effortlessly in front of the cameras.

She even managed a few high kicks, despite being understandably stiff after being taken to three gruelling sets less than 12 hours earlier by Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina.

Read full story on www.sportsdesk.com.mt

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