Stunned Sabalenka ‘wants to quit tennis’ after French Open meltdown
Updated . First published
After letting another big lead slip with an error-strewn performance at the French Open, top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka felt like getting as far away from the courts as possible.
“Just want to quit tennis right now,” Sabalenka said after wasting a lead of a set and two breaks in a 3-6, 7-5, 6-0 loss to Diana Shnaider in the quarter finals.
Aryna Sabalenka reacts against Diana Shnaider during their French Open quarter final. Dan Istitene
“We’ll see in few days. Hopefully I’ll get back on track mentally.”
Sabalenka’s wait for a first French Open title continues despite the four-time major winner leading 4-1 in the second set and being two points from victory while serving for the match at 5-4.
What followed was a complete collapse as she lost 12 of the last 13 games against a player appearing in her first grand slam quarter final, looking increasingly frustrated and forlorn in the windy conditions.
Just like her loss to Coco Gauff in last year’s final, when she also won the first set before becoming undone with a slew of unforced errors, this one will take some time to get over.
“You know those rooms where you just go in and you smash everything,” Sabalenka said.
“Probably I will spend a whole day tomorrow over there destroying stuff. Maybe it will help, maybe not.”
Shnaider next faces Maja Chwalinska, who extended her remarkable Roland Garros run by beating No. 22-seeded Anna Kalinskaya 7-6 (3), 6-3.
Shnaider said she took lessons from Sabalenka’s struggles in last year’s wind-hit French Open final to engineer her upset, adapting smartly to the blustery conditions in their quarter final.
“Of course I knew in the final last year ... it was super windy,” Shnaider told reporters.
“I had that thought in the back of my mind that she was struggling with Coco last year. I was like, ‘yeah, I’ve got to use this opportunity, I need to just adjust’.”
Shnaider said part of her plan after surrendering the first set and going down a double break in the second set was to be a lot more aggressive against her big-hitting opponent.
“I was starting to step in more on her second serve, putting more pressure,” Shnaider added.
“She got a couple of unforced errors here and there. The momentum was shifting a little bit towards my side. I believed more in myself.
“After winning the second set, I was like, ‘Yay, she hasn’t lost a set here and I’m the first one (to take one off her).’ In the third set ... I just tried to be more aggressive and go for my shots.”
Diana Shnaider shows appreciation to the fans after victory over Aryna Sabalenka. Dan Istitene
Like Sabalenka, Shnaider said she was surprised that the Court Philippe Chatrier roof was not closed to help players be more in control of their shots.
“I was warming up with a closed roof. I didn’t know they were going to open it up. They were starting to open it right when I was finishing my warm-up,” Shnaider said.
“I was a little bit surprised with that decision. But again, the conditions were very tough, there were a lot of dirty shots, it was very unpredictable, a lot of wind and a lot of sand.
“I was a little annoyed more in the first set, but I tried to keep reminding myself that it’s same conditions for the both of us. I’ve got to admit it that it’s tough, and I needed to figure out what I have to do.”
Shnaider told Stan Sport’s Chris Stubbs that she was looking forward to celebrating with a nice dessert.
“It’s crazy, I’m honestly still in the process of just thinking about it - 4-1, 5-3 (down in the second set),” she said.
“I just tried to do something different from before, I just went for more aggressive shots, and it worked, you know. And then after winning second set I was just super happy that I managed to like come back and win the set.
“And I saw that Aryna was getting a little more frustrated and then she got like more errors and after winning second set I kind of knew what I have to do in the third set. I just trust myself and I just went for the shots that I was doing in the second set in the end.
“And she was just trying to go also for more to be more aggressive. The mistakes was creeping in a little bit and then, yeah, I just saw an opportunity and I used it.”
- with Wide World of Sports
