'Want to Quit Tennis,' Aryna Sabalenka Talks Stunning Roland-Garros Exit in Trending Video
After a shocking collapse in her quarterfinal loss to Diana Shnaider at the 2026 French Open, Aryna Sabalenka admitted she wants to take at least a short break from tennis right now.
Speaking to reporters in the wake of her defeat, Sabalenka said I "just want to quit tennis right now" and that she would "see in a few days" about "hopefully" getting back on track.
Sabalenka had been cruising throughout the tournament up to the second set against Shnaider. She hadn't dropped a set in each of the first four rounds and was two points away from winning on Wednesday.
After Shnaider was able to hold serve to make it 5-4 in the second set, the wheels fell off for Sabalenka. The top seed closed the match by losing 10 straight games, including a 6-0 bagel in the decisive third set.
Sabalenka admitted losing the second set is really when she "couldn't recover" in the match.
The loss marks the second consecutive year at the French Open that Sabalenka has lost the last two sets after winning the first. She was defeated in the final by Coco Gauff in 2025.
This year's defeat is agonizing because it seemed set up for Sabalenka to capture her first title at Roland Garros. She was the only one of the top six seeds still in the field after Gauff, Iga Świątek, Amanda Anisimova, Elena Rybakina and Jessica Pegula all lost in the first four rounds.
Instead, Sabalenka is left to ponder how things unraveled so quickly in this match. It marked just her fourth singles loss in 31 matches this season.
Assuming Sabalenka doesn't follow through on her desire to quit tennis right now, the next big event on the calendar is Wimbledon starting on June 29.
