Sabalenka ‘quit’ outburst after stunning defeat in Paris

Aryna Sabalenka said she wanted “to quit tennis” in an immediate outburst after one of the worst meltdowns in her career, losing 10 consecutive games en route to a shocking 3-6, 7-5, 6-0 defeat to the 25th seed Diana Shnaider in the quarter-finals of the French Open.

- Tumaini Carayol

Asked by the moderator to explain her thoughts and emotions at the beginning of her post-match press conference, Sabalenka responded: “No thoughts, no emotions. Just want to quit tennis right now,” she said, shrugging. “But we’ll see. We’ll see in a few days. Hopefully I’ll get back on track mentally.”

Ninety minutes into her 14th consecutive grand slam quarter-final, it seemed like nothing could stop the world No 1 from passing through another uneventful day on the court. Even in gusty conditions and after a few nervous games while closing out the opening set, her game was in full flow. She led 6-3, 4-1, 30-0, seemingly moments from victory.

Instead, the top seed completely fell apart, paralysed by tension and unable to play with any semblance of freedom. Her anguish was contrasted with a supreme fighting performance by Shnaider, who reached a grand slam semi-final for the first time in her career.

At 5-4, 30-30 in set two, Sabalenka was two points away from reaching her 13th major semi-final in her last 14 appearances. As the only player left in the draw to even reach a grand slam semi-final, the four-time major champion was heavily favoured to finally win her first French Open title.