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Sabalenka: I went into a dark place

The world No.1 says she went into a dark hole on Wednesday, but vows to get out

Aryna Sabalenka / Quarts de Finale - Simple Dames - Roland-Garros 2026
©Jean-Baptiste Autissier / FFT
 - Chris Oddo

Aryna Sabalenka’s bid for a first Roland-Garros title went the way of the clay top dressing on Court Philippe-Chatrier on Wednesday – gone with the wind.  

After the world No.1’s stunning defeat at the hands of No.25 seed Diana Shnaider, she talked to reporters and tried to make sense of the fact that she lost the plot and squandered a set and double break lead.

Sabalenka dropped the final ten games of the match to fall, 3-6, 7-5, 6-0, and suffered a quarterfinal loss at a Grand Slam for just the second time in fifteen appearances. 

Probably I will spend a whole day tomorrow over there destroying stuff. Maybe it will help; maybe not

“I don't know when was the last time that happened to me, that I lost 10 games in a row,” a downtrodden Sabalenka said in her post-match press conference. “I guess mentally I got into a very deep, dark hole over there, and I just couldn't get back mentally on track.” 

Making matters more excruciating was the fact that the 28-year-old was the prohibitive favourite to win the match – and the title – in Paris. As the only top 5 seed remaining, and a finalist last year, she had momentum and experience on her side.

Sabalenka hadn’t dropped a set through her first four rounds, but those matches were played in balmy conditions, with the ball travelling like a blur through the court in the abnormally warm temperatures that hit Paris last week.  

On Wednesday, in chilly, breezy conditions, Sabalenka struggled to maintain her dominant level. 

Still, she did hold a 6-3, 4-1 double break lead before things started to get away from her. 

“Even though I was winning, it was very dirty tennis," she said.

As the games ticked away, it became obvious that the world No.1 was shockingly out of sync. She says she couldn’t seem to settle her nerves. 

What exactly caused her difficulties?

“I just think it's a combination of everything,” Sabalenka said. “You overthink, then you make easy mistakes, then you miss opportunities.

“Then the other player on the other side steps in and starts playing a bit more aggressively and more free – kind of fearless. Sometimes it's really tough to hold the pressure and put it back on the opponent.”

The loss will be difficult to stomach, but Sabalenka has made a Hall of Fame career out of rising from the ashes of her setbacks. She is the WTA’s phoenix, dealing with adversity head on and reliably evolving as a player and as a person with each setback.

She plans more of the same this time around. 

“I just have to sit back and openly think about what's going on in my head in those tough moments, because I'm quite an experienced player,” she said. “I have been through so many things, and I overcame so many things.

“I just have to figure out that little thing that is not working for me sometimes, and hopefully I can overcome it.”

Still worked up from a difficult loss, Sabalenka says she might start her road to recovery with a bit of destruction. 

“You know those rooms where you just go in and you smash everything,” she said, the press room erupting in laughter. “Probably I will spend a whole day tomorrow over there destroying stuff.

"Maybe it will help; maybe not.”