Aryna Sabalenka draws rare praise from Novak Djokovic wife Jelena ahead of Australian Open final against Elena Rybakina

Novak Djokovic’s wife, Jelena Djokovic, sent a rare and powerful message to Aryna Sabalenka after the Belarusian stormed into the women’s singles final at the 2026 Australian Open. Aryna Sabalenka booked her place in the final with a strong straight-sets win over Elina Svitolina in the semifinals. She looked calm, sharp, and fully in control as she sealed a 6-2, 6-3 victory on Thursday, January 29, in Melbourne.Soon after the match, Sabalenka shared a post on Instagram with three photos and a short video from her semifinal win. She captioned the post with the words, “Final push 🤫 @australianopen.” That post quickly drew attention, but one comment stood out. Jelena Djokovic jumped into the replies and openly backed Sabalenka for the title. She wrote, “Let’s go!!!! 💪💪💪👑👑👑👑.”The message was rare, public, and clear. It came as Sabalenka moved one win away from lifting the Australian Open trophy for the third time in her career and reaching her fourth final at the tournament.

Aryna Sabalenka set for Elena Rybakina clash after Jelena Djokovic’s public support

Aryna Sabalenka will now face Elena Rybakina in the final, a matchup that already has plenty of history behind it.The two last met in an Australian Open final in 2023, where Sabalenka came back from a set down to win the title. She then defended her crown in 2024 by beating Zheng Qinwen. Last year, Sabalenka reached the final again but finished runner-up as Madison Keys claimed a surprise victory.After beating Svitolina, Sabalenka spoke about Rybakina during her post-match press conference. According to the Australian Open media transcript, she said:“I think her shots are heavy, deep, flat balls that are not easy to work with. We have great history. She’s an incredible player. We had a lot of great battles, a lot of finals we played. If it’s gonna be her, I’m looking forward to battling this power.”Aryna Sabalenka currently leads their head-to-head record 8-6. However, Rybakina won their most recent meeting at the 2025 WTA Finals in Riyadh, where she claimed a 6-3, 7-6(0) win to lift the year-end title for the first time. With history, form, and support lining up, the 2026 Australian Open final is shaping up to be another big chapter in their rivalry.