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World number one Aryna Sabalenka made a startling admission after crashing out of the French Open, revealing that she briefly felt like quitting tennis following a stunning quarter-final defeat to Diana Shnaider on Wednesday.
Sabalenka appeared firmly in control of the contest on Court Philippe Chatrier after claiming the opening set and racing to a 4-1 lead in the second with a double-break advantage.
However, the Belarusian suffered a remarkable collapse as Shnaider stormed back to secure a 3-6, 7-5, 6-0 victory and book her place in the semi-finals.
The top seed struggled badly as the match slipped away, committing 57 unforced errors and losing the final 10 games of the contest in one of the most dramatic turnarounds of the tournament.
Speaking moments after the defeat, Sabalenka did not hide her frustration when asked about her emotions.
“No thoughts, no emotions. Just want to quit tennis right now,” she said during her post-match press conference. “But we’ll see. We’ll see in a few days. Hopefully I’ll get back on track mentally.”
The three-time Grand Slam champion later elaborated on her mental struggles during the match, admitting she found herself unable to recover after momentum shifted in Shnaider’s favour.
“I don’t know when was the last time that happened to me, that I lost 10 games in a row. I don’t know. I guess mentally I got into very deep, deep, dark hole over there, and I just couldn’t get back mentally on track,” Aryna Sabalenka told reporters.
Despite establishing herself as one of the dominant players on the WTA Tour, Sabalenka’s greatest successes have come on hard courts, where she has won all four of her Grand Slam titles. Her quest to capture a maiden French Open or Wimbledon crown, however, continues to prove elusive.
The latest defeat echoed last year’s heartbreaking French Open final loss against Coco Gauff, another match in which Sabalenka failed to convert a strong position.
The 28-year-old insisted she remains comfortable on clay and grass courts but acknowledged that her desire to break through on those surfaces may be creating additional pressure.
“I really feel great on clay. I feel great on grass,” she said. “I think maybe I’m focusing too much on the fact that I never won a Slam on either surface. Maybe that’s making me overthink things and become too emotional in certain moments.”
Sabalenka added that managing her emotions has become a priority as she looks to bounce back from another painful Grand Slam disappointment.
“This is something I have to step back and find a solution for because I’m tired of losing matches in this way simply because I became overemotional,” she concluded.
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