An emotional Aryna Sabalenka said it will take a "few more days" to sink in after battling from a set down to win a maiden Grand Slam title at the Australian Open on Saturday.
The hard-hitting Belarusian collapsed to the court in tears after winning 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 against Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina in a high-quality 2hr 28min arm-wrestle on Rod Laver Arena.
"Thank you, my team, the craziest team on the tour. We've been through a lot of, I would say, downs last year," Sabalenka said, addressing her team after receiving the trophy.
Turning to beaten 22nd seed Rybakina, she added: "You're such a great player and of course we are going to have many more battles, hopefully in finals of the Grand Slams."