I just want to get drunk, Aryna Sabalenka says, after her Wimbledon exit
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The Belarusian will remain as world No. 1 after Wimbledon.
PHOTO: REUTERS
LONDON – World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka said she felt like drowning her sorrows after her wait for a Wimbledon title was extended for at least another year as she lost to an inspired Naomi Osaka in the round of 16.
The blockbuster clash between two players with four Grand Slam titles each failed to live up to expectations, as 14th seed Osaka blazed to a 6-2, 7-6 (7-2) victory on July 5 to set up a quarter-final with Karolína Muchova of the Czech Republic.
Sabalenka was continually knocked off balance by the depth and pace of Osaka’s shots and despite digging deep in the second set, she never really looked in control.
At one point in the first set she screamed in frustration, while early in the second, she banged her racket against her head repeatedly. After losing match point, the 28-year-old launched a ball high out of the court before heading almost immediately to her press conference.
One year after losing to Amanda Anisimova in the semi-finals – her third successive loss at that stage in London – and saying she had a “hate relationship” with Wimbledon, Sabalenka was asked how she felt about her latest exit on grass.
“No emotions. Just know that I can handle myself much better than last year,” she told reporters. “Obviously, guys, if you were expecting something really fun, not going to happen. Probably just going to be short answers.
“I f****d it up this year. Next year I’ll try to do better. I just think, to be honest, I feel like my level was really low today, plus she was feeling her best. With every game we would play, I would feel worse, she would feel better.”
Sabalenka lost the 2026 Australian Open final and after losing in the quarter-finals at the French Open, where she crumbled in the final set against Diana Shnaider, she said she felt like quitting tennis and was in a dark hole.
The Belarusian will remain as world No. 1 after Wimbledon, but she said that did not interest her.
“Oh, this question, guys. I mean, let’s just look at the ranking. Right now, I’m world No. 1. Level-wise, today I wasn’t world No. 1. Yesterday I was world No. 1,” she said.
“I feel like I just don’t even want to think about rankings at this point. I just want to go, get completely drunk, forget about tennis and try to get in better shape.”
It was the first straight-set defeat Sabalenka has suffered in a Grand Slam for six years.
“It’s okay. I’ll get back stronger. We’ll start building everything from scratch for the next one,” she said.
The top-ranked men’s player, however, fared better.
Jannik Sinner has struggled in searing heat at the previous two Grand Slams in 2026, but the Italian said he was well prepared to handle it, with temperatures expected to soar in London this week.
After a heatwave last week, which broke British records for June at around 37 deg C, the second week of Wimbledon is forecast to see temperatures climb again beyond 30 deg C.
Sinner, who hails from the Alpine region of South Tyrol in northern Italy, struggled physically during a Paris heatwave to fall in the second round of the French Open in May and suffered cramps in an early scare at the Australian Open in January.
The four-time Major winner will take on German Jan-Lennard Struff in the quarter-finals but did not get drawn into a debate with reporters on when he will take to the court.
“It seems you know the schedule better than me. I don’t know when they put me on. I’m happy either way. I’m well prepared. We did a good preparation,” Sinner, 24, said after his 6-3, 7-6 (7-0), 6-3 win over Japanese qualifier Shintaro Mochizuki on July 5.
“Whatever happened in the past, it’s gone already. Now we’ll see if we found a solution. If not, we keep working for the next one. But in any case, the quarter-final of a Grand Slam, the feelings are different.
“There’s definitely more tension. At the same time, I’m very happy where I am at the moment. We’ll see how it goes.”
In the women’s last 16 on July 6, Ukrainian 12th seed Marta Kostyuk booked her place in a maiden Wimbledon quarter-final with a 6-4, 6-4 win over American qualifier Ashlyn Krueger.
Kostyuk will next face Italy’s former finalist Jasmine Paolini, who overcame the 29th-seeded Alexandra Eala of the Philippines 6-4, 4-6, 6-3. REUTERS, AFP
