Sabalenka: "I should have been braver, at times I forgot I am the No. 1"

Fernando Murciego | 10 Jul 2025 | 19.15

Aryna Sabalenka eliminated at Wimbledon 2025. Source: Getty

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Final in Australia, final in Roland Garros, and semifinals at Wimbledon. These are the results signed by 99% of the women's circuit, but not her. Not the World No. 1. Once again, Aryna Sabalenka proved that there is no player more consistent than her, more reliable, even beyond the surfaces. No one wins more matches and titles than her, but when it comes to Grand Slams... something fails. In this 2025, she always lacked the final touch, a disappointment she also experienced in London. After falling in three sets to Amanda Anisimova a few hours ago, the Belarusian bid farewell to the tournament with her final press conference.

Match assessment

"If you're expecting a press conference similar to the one after Roland Garros, you won't have it, so anyone waiting for something like that can leave now (laughs). Today, Amanda was the better player, that's the reality. Losing is always crap, you feel like dying, you don't want to exist anymore, as if it were the end of your life. But then you sit down for a moment and think about what you could have done differently in the match. You see things, understand the moments better, comprehend why the other player performed much better. The first moment is always the worst, especially because when you go so deep in a tournament, it means you're getting closer to your dream. Once you lose, it means the end."

What went wrong?

"Obviously, my return today could have been much better; my returns were much worse compared to previous days. I have to say that I gave my best at that moment, but the return game didn't work well. Still, I had my chances, but in the final game, I couldn't serve well either. I served, but she made sure to crush my serves. I admit she was braver, maybe I was trying to hold back in some points, while she went all out, much more aggressive. Sometimes I just opened my arms, making mistakes, not understanding why. I should have been a bit braver, remember that I am at the top of the rankings and I can do it. I think at some point, I forgot that."

Wimbledon, a pending account

"It's difficult to draw conclusions, but I genuinely hope to win here someday. I've lost three semifinals, all three very tough, one year I got injured, and another year I was banned from playing. Currently, I have more of a hate relationship with this tournament, but I really hope that at some point, I can turn that around and have a more romantic relationship. Of course, if the day comes when I win it, I will look back and remember all these defeats, thinking that I still made it. It's harder to think about it now, but I never give up, I'll come back stronger, for sure."

Why does Anisimova hurt you so much?

"She is a very aggressive player, that's why all the matches we've played have been so tight and close. I know what I have to do against her, but I have to say that the grass doesn't help me do the things that can disrupt her game. All our duels are tight, no matter who ends up winning, I don't care because they're all very close. When I step onto the court today, I'm not thinking about the history we have, that means nothing. I've won matches against her, and she has won too, it's all about the momentum. If you're there, if you keep fighting and if you do the right things."

Lesson learned from your words in Paris

"Simply, I don't want to face that hatred again. We can all lose control of our emotions, it's normal, it happened to me every time I was close to winning a match and ended up losing it. That's when you start screaming, breaking rackets, but I try to remind myself that's never an option, that won't help me stay in the match and fight for my dream. Even now, I took a bit of time before coming here to be able to be Aryna, not that crazy person who was at the last Roland Garros press conference."

A great 2025, though not perfect

"The results are impressive; I'm already qualified for Riyadh, and it's only mid-year, that has never happened to me before. Although I lost many finals, some tough matches in Grand Slams, I still believe the consistency I've been able to show is remarkable. There are still many things I've done that I'm proud of. This experience proves that next year, I'll come back here hungrier; that's what the toughest defeats do, they help me return stronger. I have high hopes for next year."

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Sabalenka: “Tendría que haber sido más valiente, por momentos me olvidé que soy la Nº1"