Aryna Sabalenka had the last laugh as she hoisted the Australian Open title on Saturday - five years on from being cruelly mocked by fans on debut in Melbourne.
Belarusian star Sabalenka recovered from early nerves to produce a stunning comeback and oust Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina 4-6 6-3 6-4 in a thrilling final.
Sabalenka became the first Grand Slam champion to play under a neutral flag amid her nation's support for Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
The gutsy 24-year-old was overcome by emotion as she collapsed on court in tears after overpowering Rybakina to claim her first ever Grand Slam singles title.
And Sabalenka's greatest career triumph silenced the fans who made her first major Down Under so uncomfortable in 2018. A partisan Melbourne crowd attempted to humiliate Sabalenka on her Grand Slam debut against home favourite Ashleigh Barty.
Her round one defeat to the now-retired Barty was marred by fans taunting her for her vocal nature on court.
Sabalenka's loud grunting became a source of mockery as the decibel levels she brought onto court infuriated Melbourne Park spectators.
Then 19, her introduction to one of the biggest stages in tennis proved a baptism of fire as her shrieks after every shot were mimicked by fans in between points.
And at one stage, the imitating became so distracting that the umpire had to urge fans to stop interrupting Sabalenka during her service preparations.
But that unpleasant day is now firmly behind Sabalenka, who has now firmly established herself as one of the true forces in women's tennis.
She can now reflect on magical memories of the first major of the year and revelled in 'the best day of her life' after regrouping from a double fault on match point to eventually down Rybakina.
"Well, it's going to be fun after the double-fault," Sabalenka joked after her victory.
"Of course I was a little bit nervous. I kept telling myself like, 'Nobody tells you that it's going to be easy, you just have to work for it, work for it till the last point'.
"It's tough to explain what I'm feeling right now. Just super happy. Proud. I don't know how to explain. It's the best day of my life right now."
