Aryna Sabalenka recently made her feelings known about what is one of the worst things about being a tennis player. The Belarusian player recently competed in Wimbledon and is now gearing up for the upcoming tournaments of the season.
Sabalenka delivered impressive performances at Wimbledon as she advanced to the semi-finals after defeating several top-notch athletes. However, she fell short of progressing further than the semi-final round. Similarly, she experienced the same fate at the Berlin Open, and shortly after these upsets, Sabalenka recently sat for a conversation with the Tennis Gazette, revealing the worst aspect of being a professional tennis player.
Opening up about how everything depends on the results of the tournaments, and the fact that athletes can only enjoy when their games are going good, she said:
"I think it’s important to go and have fun and enjoy life. But it’s so fu****g annoying about being an athlete, honestly. All your life depends on your result. You win and you are the happiest person that you can be. You just enjoy, life feels so good. But when you lose it’s just tough to enjoy."
Sabalenka lost the Wimbledon semi-final round against Amanda Anisimova, who dashed the Belarusian's hopes of earning the Grand Slam win with an impressive 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 win.
Aryna Sabalenka opened up about her loss at Wimbledon
Aryna Sabalenka's loss against Amanda Anisimova in the Wimbledon final was her third consecutive semi-final finish at the championships. Following this upset, she sat for a post-match press conference, where she reflected on her semi-final match, stating that she didn't like losing. Highlighting the fact that she got close to the finals but could not win on three consecutive occasions, she said: (as quoted by the Guardian.com)
“Losing sucks, you know? You always feel like you want to die, you don’t want to exist any more, and this is the end of your life. Every time you compete at that tournament, and you get to the last stages, you think that you’re getting close to your dream. Then you lose the match, and you feel like, OK, this is the end."
Following this, she spoke about her opponent's behavior on the court, revealing that it 'pissed her off.'
"She was already celebrating it. I was, like, that’s a bit too early. Then she pissed me off saying that’s what she does all the time. I was grateful she actually said that because it’s actually helping me to keep fighting. So I came back because I got really angry in that moment," she added.
Aryna Sabalenka has won two titles tso far his year, including the Miami Open and the Madrid Open. Along with this, she also reached the finals of multiple tournaments, including the Australian Open, Indian Wells Masters, Boss Open, and the French Open.