"Just want to quit tennis right now" Aryna Sabalenka After Quarterfinal Loss — Roland-Garros 2026

[0:00] Irina, this is obviously a difficult moment, but what are your thoughts and emotions after today's match? [0:06] No thoughts, no emotions. Just want to quit tennis right now, but we'll see. [0:14] We'll see in a few days. Hopefully I'll get back on track [0:17] mentally. [0:24] Irina, just from your perspective, just what happened in the final ten games in the third set in particular? [0:30] I feel like I had very decent opportunities in the second set. I screw up and then she stepped in and she played great and [0:41] I feel like mentally I couldn't really recover after a second set and that really [0:49] Yeah, I think that was the biggest [0:55] mistake from me. My question was gonna be similar. Just what was as the match was slipping away from me? [1:01] What were you trying to do to change [1:03] the direction of it or to slow it down and what just wasn't working for you to be able to [1:07] You know find the find the brakes. This is a very uncharacteristic kind of match for you. Yeah [1:12] I don't know when was the last time that happened to me that I lost ten games in the row, but [1:18] I [1:19] don't know I guess mentally I got into very deep deep dark hole over there and I just couldn't get back [1:29] Mentally on track. I mean, you just wanted how big a factor the conditions were as well. It was a windy afternoon [1:36] Yeah, that's another question. I don't know why would they keep the [1:40] Roof open when it's like it's it was crazy windy, but how can I complain if almost for the whole much everything was working? [1:48] Okay for me, but then it just slipped away and it was also I feel like it was getting crazy [1:54] Maybe just because mentally I wasn't really okay [1:57] So for me felt that we was getting crazy, but I remember even from last year [2:03] For our match they kept the roof open and the next day it was similar conditions before the guys they closed the roof [2:10] Just to make I believe better conditions and better quality of tennis. I don't know. Why would they keep it open? [2:15] It was really even though I was winning it was very dirty tennis and [2:20] I don't know how people could actually sit there and watch [2:24] Me play. I mean then at some point she stepped in and she played unbelievable in those conditions, but I don't know [2:32] It's a big question. Did you ask for the roof to be closed? [2:36] No, I didn't I feel like you know, no need [2:42] What what challenges do the clay and I guess also the grass present to you that? [2:50] That has you think prevented you from matching your success on hard courts [2:54] Many things [3:00] No, I don't know. I really feel great on on clay. I feel great on grass [3:05] I think just I don't know maybe i'm focusing too much that I never want to slam on [3:12] H, you know and maybe it's like kind of like [3:15] make me overthink stuff [3:18] make me [3:20] over emotional at some moment [3:22] I don't know this is something that I actually have to you know kind of like step back [3:28] and kind of like try to find a solution because I just I'm so tired of [3:35] Me losing so much is not in the best way just because I was over emotional [3:43] When you were in that situation you said it was very difficult mentally [3:47] Do you find that you end up almost fighting against yourself and you can't find a way back and [3:51] How does it happen? Is it is it is it a sense that it's just too overwhelming and there's something you can't turn around? [3:58] No, I just think it's combination of everything, you know, you overthink then you make easy mistakes then you you know [4:06] I don't know [4:07] You miss opportunities then the other player on another side kind of like stepping in and start playing a bit more aggressively and [4:15] More free kind of like fearless and you know, it's sometimes it's really tough to [4:20] Hold the pressure and put it back on the opponent. Hi, Irina from the outside [4:27] It looked like that match had some similarities to last year's final. I just [4:32] Wondered from in terms of your experience [4:35] What those similarities were? [4:37] Yeah, that's what that's what I'm saying. I just have to sit back and I don't know [4:45] Openly think about what's going on in my head in those tough moments because I'm I'm quite experienced player [4:52] I've been through so many things and I overcome so many things and you know [4:57] I just have to figure that little little thing that is not working for me [5:01] Sometimes and hopefully I can overcome it. Hi, Irina [5:07] With how were you feeling going into the match this morning? [5:10] Were you in your best spirits mentally and did it sort of is there is there a moment? [5:16] Before 5-3 that you start beginning to feel things? No, no, I felt really great [5:21] I felt ready to fight. I felt ready, you know, I was [5:25] Yeah, I was super motivated as always so I wouldn't say that I've done something differently, you know in the morning [5:31] I just think that there is something in specific moment during the match that happens that like I lose control over there much [5:38] Hi, Irina. How much more difficult is this to take when it was such a big opportunity for you given [5:46] the openness of the draw and where you were? [5:48] I don't like easy wins, you know, I guess for me [5:53] It's about to you know suffer overcome and get it done [5:58] But also, you know, how can you say like that like Marta is in a great shape Mira is playing great tennis [6:07] I'm gonna make a mistake pronouncing the polish girl. I'm so sorry [6:13] My I'm so sorry [6:16] She's also playing really great tennis suits. I mean, maybe I has the list like the the my shows I had the least [6:25] I don't know how you say chance [6:27] I think everyone will really appreciate your honest raw reaction to this defeat. How do you bounce back from [6:36] Disappointments like this? What's your plan going to be over the next few days? [6:41] I don't know. I honestly don't know. I guess I don't know [6:48] I don't know [7:05] Obviously you've had kind of difficult moments to that like this in the past where you've had to bounce back [7:12] Um, how does it make it even tougher knowing that you've kind of put so much into trying to find a way through this [7:18] But you still have these mental blocks sometimes [7:23] It doesn't kill us makes us stronger. I guess at some point I will figure that [7:29] Little situation and I only will get back [7:34] Tougher by the way, you know, I just figured how how I can overcome it [7:38] You know those rooms where you just go in and you smash everything [7:42] Probably I'll spend a whole day tomorrow over there destroying stuff. Maybe it will help. Maybe not [7:52] Thank you guys