Sabalenka has often cited her mental weaknesses as the reason for her close losses in the past.
After her round-of-16 exit at the Wimbledon classic against Japan’s Naomi Osaka (28), world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka spoke candidly. “I just want to go away, get totally drunk, forget about tennis, and try to get back in better shape,” the 28-year-old said at the post-match press conference on Sunday.
The Belarusian lost to 14th-seeded former world No. 1 Osaka on Center Court 2-6, 6-7 (2-7), failing to advance to the second week of a Grand Slam tournament for the first time since the 2022 French Open.
“I just didn’t have it today. I gave it my best and tried to adapt. But for some reason, I wasn’t playing at my usual level,” said the four-time Grand Slam champion, who had entered the tournament as the favorite to win the Venus Rosewater Dish, visibly disappointed.
Sabalenka, who in the past had often cited her mental weaknesses as the reason for close losses, admitted fairly this time: “I was outplayed. Maybe I got a little too emotional a few times, but I tried to stay in control. You just have to congratulate her and move on.”
Meanwhile, Osaka continues her quest for a fifth Grand Slam title. In the quarterfinals of the grass-court classic on Tuesday, she’ll face the No. 10-seeded Czech Karolina Muchova, who previously advanced to the quarterfinals with a 7–5, 5–7, 6–3 victory over her compatriot Barbora Krejcikova.
