Petenis nomor satu dunia Aryna Sabalenka tersingkir dari turnamen Roland-Garros 2026 setelah menderita kekalahan mengejutkan dari Diana Shnaider pada babak perempat final yang berlangsung Rabu, 3 Juni 2026.
Sabalenka mengalami penurunan performa yang drastis dengan kehilangan sepuluh gim secara beruntun setelah sempat memimpin 6-3 dan 4-1 pada awal pertandingan, sehingga memberikan hasil akhir yang tidak terduga bagi turnamen tersebut.
Dilansir dari Tennis Majors, Sabalenka mengungkapkan rasa frustrasinya terkait kondisi mental yang merosot, situasi atap lapangan yang terbuka di tengah angin kencang, serta kesalahan yang terus berulang saat bermain di lapangan tanah liat.
"No thoughts, no emotions. I want to quit tennis right now. We’ll see in a few days if I’m back on track." kata Aryna Sabalenka, Petenis Nomor Satu Dunia.
Setelah kekalahan yang membuatnya terpukul tersebut, Sabalenka langsung menghadiri konferensi pers untuk menjelaskan apa yang terjadi di lapangan.
"I had very decent opportunities in the second set. I screwed up, and then she stepped in and she played great. I felt like mentally I couldn’t really recover after the second set. I think that was the mistake for me." ujar Aryna Sabalenka, Petenis Nomor Satu Dunia.
Pertandingan tersebut dinilai sangat tidak biasa bagi sang petenis unggulan utama karena rentetan kegagalan di gim-gim penentu.
"Yeah, I don’t know when was the last time that happened to me, that I lost ten games in a row. I guess mentally I got into a very deep, deep dark hole over there, and I just couldn’t get back on track mentally." kata Aryna Sabalenka, Petenis Nomor Satu Dunia.
Kondisi cuaca sore hari yang berangin kencang juga memicu keluhan dari Sabalenka mengenai kebijakan panitia turnamen terkait penutupan atap stadion.
"That’s another question – I don’t know why they would keep the roof open when it was crazy windy. But how can I complain if for almost the whole match everything was working okay for me, and then it just slipped away? I feel like it was getting crazy maybe just because mentally I wasn’t really okay. I remember even from last year they kept the roof open for us, and then the next day, in similar conditions, they closed it for the men – to make better conditions and better quality of tennis, I believe. I don’t know why they would keep it open. Even though I was winning, it was very dirty tennis. I don’t know how people could actually sit there and watch. And then at some point she stepped in and played unbelievable." tutur Aryna Sabalenka, Petenis Nomor Satu Dunia.
Meskipun merasa terganggu dengan angin, Sabalenka mengaku tidak mengajukan permintaan resmi kepada pihak penyelenggara agar atap stadion ditutup saat laga berjalan.
"No. I feel like there was no need. Maybe I’m focusing too much on the fact that I’ve never won a Slam on them, and maybe that makes me overthink things." kata Aryna Sabalenka, Petenis Nomor Satu Dunia.
Tantangan bermain di lapangan tanah liat dan rumput diakui Sabalenka kerap memicu tekanan emosional yang menghambatnya menyamai kesuksesan di lapangan keras.
"I don’t know. I really feel great on clay, I feel great on grass. Maybe I’m focusing too much on the fact that I’ve never won a Slam on them, and maybe that makes me overthink things, makes me over-emotional at some moments. This is something I actually have to step back from and try to find a solution, because I’m so tired of losing like this – not in the best way, just because I was over-emotional." ujar Aryna Sabalenka, Petenis Nomor Satu Dunia.
Akibat terlalu banyak berpikir, kesalahan-kesalahan mudah mulai terjadi di lapangan sehingga momentum berpindah ke tangan lawan yang bermain tanpa beban.
"I think it’s a combination of everything. You overthink, then you make easy mistakes, then you miss opportunities — and on the other side she’s stepping in and starting to play more aggressively, more free, kind of fearless. Sometimes it’s really tough to hold the pressure and put it back on her." kata Aryna Sabalenka, Petenis Nomor Satu Dunia.
Pertandingan ini juga memperlihatkan kemiripan dengan pola kekalahannya pada laga final Roland-Garros di tahun sebelumnya.
"Yeah, that’s what I’m saying. I just have to sit back and openly think about what’s going on in my head in those tough moments. I’m quite an experienced player, I’ve been through so many things and overcome so many things, and I just have to figure out that little thing that sometimes isn’t working for me – and hopefully I can overcome it. Well, what doesn’t kill us makes us stronger, I guess. At some point I’ll figure out the situation and we’ll get back tougher." tutur Aryna Sabalenka, Petenis Nomor Satu Dunia.
Sebelum pertandingan dimulai, Sabalenka menegaskan bahwa dirinya berada dalam kondisi mental yang sangat baik dan termotivasi penuh.
"No, I felt really great. I felt ready to fight, I felt ready, I was super motivated, as always. So I wouldn’t say I’d done something wrong in the morning. I just think there’s something in a specific moment in the mind that happens, where I lose control of the match." kata Aryna Sabalenka, Petenis Nomor Satu Dunia.
Kekalahan ini memupus kesempatan besar yang terbuka lebar bagi Sabalenka untuk meraih gelar di turnamen Grand Slam tanah liat ini.
"I don’t want easy wins. For me it’s about suffering, overcoming. But also, how can you tell – Shnaider is in great shape, she’s playing great tennis. She’s also playing really great tennis. I’d say it was a chance for me." ujar Aryna Sabalenka, Petenis Nomor Satu Dunia.
Ketika ditanya mengenai rencana liburan atau langkah pemulihan diri dalam beberapa hari ke depan, Sabalenka belum bisa memberikan kepastian.
"I honestly don’t know. I guess I don’t know. (Pause) I don’t know." kata Aryna Sabalenka, Petenis Nomor Satu Dunia.
Kondisi emosional yang naik-turun diakui menjadi penghambat utama yang masih sulit diatasi oleh petenis Belarusia tersebut pada momen-momen kritis.
"Well, what" kata Aryna Sabalenka, Petenis Nomor Satu Dunia.
