Aryna Sabalenka vents frustration after leaving Wimbledon: You want to get completely drunk

Aryna Sabalenkova wore the look of a frustrated champion after her Wimbledon title dream collapsed on Sunday, with the world number one admitting she wanted to get “totally drunk” to forget her disappointing loss to Naomi Osaka in the fourth round.

Sabalenka bid for maiden Wimbledon crown ended with a 6-2, 7-6(2) loss to Osakawho reached the quarter-finals for the first time at the All England Club. Belarus arrived at SW19 as the top seed after another impressive season.

She reached the final of the Australian Open earlier this year and dropped just one set en route to the fourth round at Wimbledon, extending her remarkable record in Grand Slam tiebreaks.

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However, Osaka’s ruthless striking prevented Sabalenka from displaying her typical power game. Speaking honestly after the defeat, Sabalenka didn’t try to hide her emotions when asked if she would remain the world number one despite the loss.

“Ah, that question again, guys. Just look at the rankings. Right now, I’m world number one. As for today’s level, I wasn’t world number one. Yesterday, I was world number one. I don’t even want to think about rankings right now. I just want to get completely drunk, forget about tennis for a while, and try to get in better shape after the conference.

Sabalenka praises Osaka after the match

Despite the obvious disappointment, Sabalenkova was quick to acknowledge that Osaka simply played better tennis on the day.

“Obviously I’m not happy with how I played. But she beat me. I feel like it was an unbelievable level from her. I tried my best. Unfortunately not this year.”

She also admitted that similar matches belong to top sport, where even maximum commitment is not always enough.

“I didn’t play my best. And she probably played her best. Sometimes that happens. Sometimes you go out there and do everything you can and still lose the match. I’m not really happy. Well done to Naomi and I wish her the best.”

The defeat also ended one of the most remarkable streaks in modern Grand Slam history, as Osaka snapped Sabalenka’s 21 consecutive major tiebreak victories with a dominant second-set performance. It was also Osaka’s first win over Sabalenka since 2018 and her first win on Wimbledon’s Center Court.

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Issued by:

sabyasachi chowdhury

Published on:

06 Jul 2026 0:42 IST