I just want to get drunk, Sabalenka says, after Wimbledon exit
Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.
At a glance
- World number one Aryna Sabalenka lost to Naomi Osaka in the Wimbledon fourth round, extending her wait for a title.
- Sabalenka expressed frustration with her performance, calling her level
World number one Aryna Sabalenka expressed a desire to "get completely drunk" and forget about tennis after her Wimbledon title aspirations were dashed by an inspired Naomi Osaka.
No emotions. Just know that I can handle myself much better than last year.
Osaka, the 14th seed, defeated Sabalenka 6-2, 7-6(2) in a highly anticipated fourth-round clash on Centre Court. Sabalenka struggled with Osaka's pace and depth, showing visible frustration throughout the match, including banging her racket against her head.
This latest exit marks another disappointment at Wimbledon for the Belarusian, who has a history of struggling at the tournament. Last year, she reached the semifinals but expressed a "hate relationship" with the grass courts. Her defeat to Osaka was her first straight-sets loss in a Grand Slam in six years.
Obviously, guys, if you were expecting something really fun, not going to happen. Probably just going to be short answers.
Despite remaining world number one, Sabalenka downplayed the significance of the ranking, stating her on-court level did not reflect it. She admitted to feeling her level was low and that Osaka played at her best. Sabalenka also reflected on a previous instance at the Australian Open where she felt like quitting tennis after a significant loss.
I fucked 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.
"I fucked it up this year. Next year I'll try to do better," Sabalenka told reporters, adding, "I just want to go, get completely drunk, forget about tennis, and try to get in better shape." She concluded by stating, "It's okay. I'll get back stronger. We'll start building everything from scratch for the next one."
Oh, this question, guys. I mean, let's just look at the ranking. Right now I'm world number one. Level-wise, today I wasn't world number one. Yesterday I was world number one.
Originally published by CNA. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.