Sabalenka Left ‘Wanting to Quit Tennis’ After Shock French Open Exit

A disappointed Aryna Sabalenka says she feels like she “wants to quit tennis” after her shock quarter-final defeat in the French Open against Diana Shnaider.

The World No 1 has never won the title at Roland-Garros and was an enormous favourite to finally lift it after defending champion Coco Gauff, four-time champion Iga Swiatek and Australian Open champion Elena Rybakina were knocked out, only to suffer an unlikely defeat herself.

Sabalenka was a set and double break up against 22-year-old Shnaider in Paris, but from a position of 6-3 5-3 in front, she failed to win another game in a stunning 3-6 7-5 6-0 collapse.

“No thoughts, no emotions. I just want to quit tennis right now, but we’ll see in a few days. Hopefully I’ll get back on track mentally,” Sabalenka ⁠said at her post-match press conference.

“I feel I had very decent opportunities in the second set. I screwed ​up, and then she stepped in and she played great.

“I feel mentally I couldn’t really recover after the second set. ​I think that was the biggest mistake from me.

“I don’t know when the last time was that I lost 10 games in a row. I guess mentally I got into a very deep, dark hole over there ‌and I just couldn’t get back on track mentally.

“I actually have to step back and try to find a solution, because I just am so tired of me losing some matches not in the best way just because I was overemotional.”

For Sabalenka, her struggles were reminiscent of last year’s final against Gauff, as she remonstrated loudly, shouting to herself and glaring at her team box before ultimately losing the contest.

“I have been through so many things, and I overcome so many things,” she said. “I just have to figure that little thing that is not working for me sometimes, and hopefully I can overcome it.

“I don’t know [how I will bounce back]. I don’t know. I don’t know.

“You know those rooms where you go in and smash everything? Probably I will spend a whole day tomorrow over there destroying stuff.”