Aryna Sabalenka skipped her post-match press conference at the 2024 Roland Garros while she was with the tournament medical team.
The Belarusian's quarter-final match against Mirra Andreeva was a really tough one. She was a huge favorite and expected to easily win the match, but that didn't happen.
She lost the match in three sets because she played the entire match battling some sort of illness, which heavily impacted her performance. Problems arose quickly for the world no. 2, who was unable to hold her serve after breaking the 17-year-old early.
She was serving weaker than usual and just not moving that well. It seemed like she had some sort of stomach issue, for which she received a pill. She nearly retired in that opening set but opted to power through, winning the set in the tie-break.
Despite trying her best, Sabalenka slowly started to fade as the match went on, but part of that was Andreeva playing better. She actually played a really strong match, outplaying Sabalenka firmly in the final two sets, but much of that had to do with Sabalenka not being able to compete the way she wanted.
It was fascinating how she powered through her issues throughout the match. After the match, the Belarusian didn't hold a press conference because she was tended to by the medical staff of the event.
We don't know what kind of issue it was, and we may never know, but it was a really sad way to end what was looking like a really promising campaign for the Belarusian.
She'll probably take at least a week off and probably more before returning to grass, possibly in Berlin. She's a great grass player, so she'll certainly be a player to watch in the coming weeks, especially at Wimbledon which is a month away.
0 Comments