​Aryna Sabalenka’s bid to capture her first Wimbledon crown ended in heartbreak when she was upset in the fourth round by Naomi Osaka. After a season that had already seen her stumble at both the Australian Open and the French Open, the world No. 1 arrived in Wimbledon harboring the hope of securing her first Grand Slam title of the year. She began her campaign with assertive victories over Teodora Kostović, McCartney Kessler, and Jeļena Ostapenko, advancing to the fourth round without dropping a set.
Yet Osaka halted Sabalenka’s progress, prevailing 6-2, 7-6(2) to knock the Belarusian out of the tournament. In the wake of the loss, Sabalenka retained the No. 1 ranking, but she faced journalists in a post-match press conference who pressed her on whether she still felt like the top player and what it would take to recapture the momentum that had defined her ascent. The four-time Grand Slam champion brushed aside the rankings chatter, stating that she simply needed a break from the sport and some time to recharge.
“Oh, this question, guys. I mean, let’s just look at the ranking. Right now I’m world number one. Level-wise, today I wasn’t world number one. Yesterday I was world number one. I feel like I just don’t even want to think about rankings at this point. I just want to go, get completely drunk, forget about tennis, and try to get in better shape,” she said.
Despite her pivot away from the spotlight on rankings, Sabalenka’s time off in Mykonos became a topic of conversation back home. Some fans questioned whether she deserved the world No. 1 status and suggested she needed to change her attitude, leaving the 28-year-old puzzled by the online chorus. She later addressed the criticism in a candid social media post, sharing a TikTok reply to comments accusing her of caring more about social media than tennis and insinuating she should reevaluate her status as the sport’s top player.
“Waking up to comments that say I care more about TikTok than tennis, that I don’t deserve to be world number one, and that I need to fix my attitude,” she wrote in response to the online scrutiny. Yet the outspoken star appeared determined not to let the noise spoil her mood, choosing to embrace her vacation and post glimpses of sunshine-filled moments in Greece with friends and her dog, Ash, captioning one carefree update, “Taking a minute to myself.”
Having taken a much-needed respite to process Wimbledon’s disappointment, Sabalenka intends to rejoin the circuit with renewed focus as she prepares for the North American hard-court stretch ahead. Her sights are clearly set on defending the US Open title that helped cement her status as one of the era’s dominant players. She will resume competition at the WTA 1000 Canadian Open in Toronto, where she is slated to headline a star-studded field that includes Elena Rybakina, Iga Świątek, Coco Gauff, and Jessica Pegula.
As Sabalenka charts her path forward, the tennis world will be watching to see how she channels the mixed emotions of a Wimbledon setback into a renewed push toward another major title. In the meantime, the narrative surrounding her year—one of extraordinary talent tempered by intense scrutiny—continues to unfold, with fans and critics alike awaiting the next act in her compelling career.