Aryna Sabalenka vents frustration after Wimbledon exit: Want to get completely drunk
Aryna Sabalenka admitted she wanted to get completely drunk after her Wimbledon title hopes ended with a straight-sets defeat to Naomi Osaka, who outplayed the World No. 1 to reach her maiden quarter-final at the All England Club.
Aryna Sabalenka wore the look of a frustrated champion after her Wimbledon title dream came to a crashing halt on Sunday, with the World No.1 admitting she wanted to "get completely drunk" to forget a disappointing defeat to Naomi Osaka in the fourth round.
Sabalenka's bid for a maiden Wimbledon crown ended with a 6-2, 7-6(2) loss to Osaka, who reached the quarter-finals at the All England Club for the first time. The Belarusian arrived at SW19 as the top seed after another impressive season.
She had reached the Australian Open final earlier this year and had dropped just one set en route to the fourth round at Wimbledon, extending her remarkable record in Grand Slam tiebreaks along the way.
However, Osaka's relentless ball-striking prevented Sabalenka from imposing her trademark power game. Speaking candidly after the defeat, Sabalenka did not attempt to hide her emotions when asked about remaining World No.1 despite the loss.
"Ah, this question again, guys. Just look at the rankings. Right now, I'm World No. 1. In terms of my level today, I wasn't World No. 1. Yesterday, I was World No. 1. I don't even want to think about the rankings at this point. I just want to get completely drunk, forget about tennis for a while, and try to get myself into better shape,” Sabalenka said in the post-match press conference.
Sabalenka praises Osaka after being outplayed
Despite her obvious disappointment, Sabalenka was quick to acknowledge that Osaka simply produced the better tennis on the day.
"Obviously I'm not happy with the way I played. But she overpowered me. I feel like it was an incredible level from her. I tried my best. Unfortunately not this year."
She also admitted that matches like these are part of elite sport, where even maximum effort is not always enough.
"I didn't play my best. And she played probably her best. Sometimes that happens. Sometimes you go out there and do everything you can and still lose the match. I'm not really happy. Well done for Naomi and wishing her the best."
The defeat also ended one of the most remarkable streaks in recent Grand Slam history, as Osaka snapped Sabalenka's run of 21 consecutive tiebreak victories at majors with a dominant performance in the second-set breaker. It was also Osaka's first victory over Sabalenka since 2018 and her maiden win on Wimbledon's Centre Court.
Aryna Sabalenka wore the look of a frustrated champion after her Wimbledon title dream came to a crashing halt on Sunday, with the World No.1 admitting she wanted to "get completely drunk" to forget a disappointing defeat to Naomi Osaka in the fourth round.
Sabalenka's bid for a maiden Wimbledon crown ended with a 6-2, 7-6(2) loss to Osaka, who reached the quarter-finals at the All England Club for the first time. The Belarusian arrived at SW19 as the top seed after another impressive season.
She had reached the Australian Open final earlier this year and had dropped just one set en route to the fourth round at Wimbledon, extending her remarkable record in Grand Slam tiebreaks along the way.
However, Osaka's relentless ball-striking prevented Sabalenka from imposing her trademark power game. Speaking candidly after the defeat, Sabalenka did not attempt to hide her emotions when asked about remaining World No.1 despite the loss.
"Ah, this question again, guys. Just look at the rankings. Right now, I'm World No. 1. In terms of my level today, I wasn't World No. 1. Yesterday, I was World No. 1. I don't even want to think about the rankings at this point. I just want to get completely drunk, forget about tennis for a while, and try to get myself into better shape,” Sabalenka said in the post-match press conference.
Sabalenka praises Osaka after being outplayed
Despite her obvious disappointment, Sabalenka was quick to acknowledge that Osaka simply produced the better tennis on the day.
"Obviously I'm not happy with the way I played. But she overpowered me. I feel like it was an incredible level from her. I tried my best. Unfortunately not this year."
She also admitted that matches like these are part of elite sport, where even maximum effort is not always enough.
"I didn't play my best. And she played probably her best. Sometimes that happens. Sometimes you go out there and do everything you can and still lose the match. I'm not really happy. Well done for Naomi and wishing her the best."
The defeat also ended one of the most remarkable streaks in recent Grand Slam history, as Osaka snapped Sabalenka's run of 21 consecutive tiebreak victories at majors with a dominant performance in the second-set breaker. It was also Osaka's first victory over Sabalenka since 2018 and her maiden win on Wimbledon's Centre Court.
