I Want to Quit Tennis’ – Sabalenka After French Open Collapse

Sabalenka looked firmly on course for a place in the Roland Garros semi-finals after taking the first set and opening up a 4-1 lead in the second against Diana Shnaider.

However, the Belarusian’s challenge unravelled dramatically as Shnaider stormed back to secure a remarkable 3-6, 7-5, 6-0 victory on Court Philippe-Chatrier.

Battling difficult, windy conditions, Sabalenka struggled to find her rhythm, finishing the match with 57 unforced errors and losing the final 10 games as momentum shifted completely in her opponent’s favour.

A visibly emotional Sabalenka arrived at her post-match press conference struggling to process the defeat.

“I have no thoughts, no emotions,” she said. “I want to quit tennis right now. We’ll see in a few days if I’m back on track.”

The loss adds to Sabalenka’s disappointing history at Roland Garros. Despite winning four Grand Slam titles, she has yet to claim a major championship on either clay or grass. Last year, she also suffered heartbreak in the French Open final after letting a winning position slip against Coco Gauff.

Reflecting on the recurring setbacks, Sabalenka suggested that her desire to win the French Open or Wimbledon may be creating additional pressure.

“I really feel great on clay, I feel great on grass,” she said. “Maybe I’m focusing too much on the fact that I’ve never won a Slam on them. Maybe that makes me overthink things and become too emotional in certain moments.

“It’s something I need to step away from and find a solution for because I’m tired of losing matches like this, not because of my game, but because I let my emotions take over.”

While Sabalenka searched for answers, Shnaider celebrated the biggest victory of her career.

“Honestly, I am speechless,” the Russian said. “She is the world number one, so I was just trying to do my best. I had to fight for every point.”

Shnaider’s reward is a surprise semi-final clash with qualifier Maja Chwalinska, as both players continue fairytale runs in a tournament that has seen several leading contenders fall before the final stages.

Despite her disappointment, Sabalenka ended on a determined note, insisting she would learn from another painful French Open exit.

“What doesn’t kill us makes us stronger, I guess,” she said. “At some point I’ll figure it out and come back tougher.”

She then joked about a possible remedy for her frustration: “I just figured out how I can overcome it, one of those rooms where you go in and smash everything. I’ll probably spend the whole day there tomorrow destroying stuff. Maybe it’ll help, maybe it won’t.”

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