Sabalenka Wants To 'Get Completely Drunk And Forget Tennis' After Wimbledon Loss To Osaka

Last Updated:July 06, 2026, 13:53 IST

Aryna Sabalenka admitted she wanted to "get completely drunk" and forget about tennis after Naomi Osaka stunned the world No. 1 to reach her maiden Wimbledon quarter-final.

Aryna Sabalenka did not hide her disappointment after crashing out of Wimbledon in the fourth round, admitting she wanted to “get completely drunk" and forget about tennis following a stunning defeat to Naomi Osaka on Sunday.

The world No. 1 had no answer to an inspired Osaka, who produced one of her finest performances on grass to win 6-2, 7-6 (7/2) on Centre Court and book her place in the Wimbledon quarter-finals for the first time.

The defeat marked Sabalenka’s earliest exit at a Grand Slam since the 2022 French Open, ending a remarkable run of deep major campaigns.

Speaking candidly after the loss, the Belarusian revealed just how difficult the result was to process.

“I just want to go, get completely drunk, forget about tennis, and try to get in better shape," Sabalenka said.

The 28-year-old has won multiple Grand Slam titles but continues to chase elusive triumphs at both Roland Garros and Wimbledon. While she has often blamed missed opportunities at majors on her own mental struggles, this time she refused to look for excuses.

Instead, Sabalenka acknowledged that Osaka simply outplayed her.

“I feel like honestly it wasn’t there today. I tried my best. I was trying to adjust as best as possible," she said.

“I honestly feel like I left everything today. I don’t know. For some reason I didn’t have level at all."

Sabalenka admitted she struggled to cope with Osaka’s relentless hitting and briefly lost control of her emotions during the contest.

“Like, I was overpowered, maybe couple times got over-emotional, but I was trying to stay in control. Yeah, I feel like sometimes there are days like that. You just have to say congrats and leave."

Meanwhile, four-time Grand Slam champion Osaka, chasing her first major title since the 2021 Australian Open, will face Czech 10th seed Karolina Muchova on Tuesday for a place in the Wimbledon semi-finals.

(with AFP inputs)

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Siddarth Sriram

After training in the field of broadcast media, Siddarth, as a sub-editor for News18 Sports, currently dabbles in putting together stories, from across a plethora of sports, onto a digital canvas. His...Read More

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