Mouratoglou's harsh criticism of Sabalenka's attitude
The renowned French coach believes that the Belarusian tennis player is allowing herself to be overly influenced by her emotions, which affects her performance level.
Aryna Sabalenka has received much criticism for her attitude after losing the US Open 2026 final to Elena Rybakina. The Belarusian tennis player had been carrying too much pressure on her shoulders for months, and she completely exploded after it was confirmed that she will finish the season without any Grand Slams in her trophy case. This behavior has been criticized by Patrick Mouratoglou, who believes that the former world number one is letting her emotions control her too much.
Mouratoglou himself perfectly summarized what happened in the New York final through a post on his LinkedIn. "What we saw at the US Open has happened too many times in two years. She loses the final. She throws her racket before shaking her opponent's hand. She goes to her chair and breaks a racket while Elena celebrates. Then the camera focuses on her and she tells her to go away or… ‘Get the hell out!’”
While he understands certain behaviors, he also believes they are playing against Sabalenka. “I understand the disappointment. Losing a Grand Slam final is heartbreaking, especially when you feel you have the tennis to win it. I understand that she wants space. Those emotions are human, and I don’t blame her for feeling them or reacting that way. She knows she shouldn’t. She’s smart. She just can’t help it. When things stop going well, emotions overflow, she becomes very negative towards herself, and she sinks. The longer it goes, the lower her level drops because she is self-destructing,” he acknowledged.
The main reason for Sabalenka's crisis
In 2026, Sabalenka has come up empty in Grand Slams despite reaching two finals, losing both to Rybakina. Beyond her game, where she has been outperformed, according to the French coach, her mentality has played a key role. "I'm not here to give advice. However, for me, emotional management is the only reason she is not winning Grand Slams at this moment. It's sad to see the same story repeating. If she fixes that, she will go from being the number 2 who doesn’t win major tournaments to someone who wins many more and returns to number 1."
Furthermore, Mouratoglou dared to draw a comparison between the rivalry of Sabalenka and Rybakina and that of two legends of men's tennis. “What fascinates me is that this final featured the two best players in the world, with opposing personalities. One is fire, the other is ice. I don't think I need to tell you who is who. It reminds me of McEnroe and Borg. Björn, always in control, without saying a word. John, breaking rackets, getting angry. A big difference: McEnroe played much better when he was angry. When Aryna gets angry, she loses her tennis,” he concluded.
It’s nice to see the two best female tennis players in the world being completely different. However, Sabalenka needs to change her mindset if she wants to return to being that dominant player who held the WTA ranking throne for many months. For now, her mission will be to find her best level in the final stretch of the season and come back recharged in 2027.
This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, La dura crítica de Mouratoglou a la actitud de Sabalenka