Andy Roddick has reacted to Aryna Sabalenka’s surprise defeat in the Roland Garros quarter-finals.
Sabalenka was beaten by Diana Shnaider 3-6, 7-5, 6-0, with the Belarusian losing 12 of the last 13 games in the match.
This defeat for Sabalenka means something has happened at a Grand Slam for the first time in 49 years at Roland Garros.
When giving his verdict on Sabalenka’s defeat, Roddick believes that is not the only unusual thing that happened in the world number one’s quarter-final loss.
Andy Roddick suggests Aryna Sabalenka had no fight in Roland Garros defeat
Roddick reacted to Sabalenka’s shock loss in the latest edition of his ‘Served with Andy Roddick‘ podcast.
The 2003 US Open champion suggested that he was surprised by Sabalenka’s lack of fighting spirit, before Roddick theorised that she may have been fatigued by the pressure of being the leading player on the WTA Tour.
However, Roddick disputed anyone who claimed that Sabalenka is weak mentally, and instead backed her as one of the most mentally tough players on tour.
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“I don’t know if I have ever seen her fade out of a match like that in my life,” said Roddick. “A set and 4-1 and she was 30-0, and then she lost a couple of points and was visibly frustrated.
“It went so fast from there. When it went sideways, it went sideways and there was no sense of ‘let’s dig back in’. There was no commitment to pain, commitment to patience for yourself. I had not seen that from Sabalenka in a long, long time.
“It felt like the emotions got the best of her. It feels to me, and this is just purely projection on what I am seeing, I do not know anything, but it feels like there is a fatigue involved from having to be so good every day and prepare the way you have to be to be number one and stay there and perform at every Grand Slam.
“It is an otherworldly commitment that she has done very well. Anyone who is saying she is mentally fragile after today, I’m going she had the yips on her serve five years ago and figured it out to the point where she leads the tours in every serving category.
“Two things can be true. I think she has been as mentally tough as anyone on tour in the last three years and today she went away mentally.”
What is next for Aryna Sabalenka after Roland Garros?
Sabalenka admitted she wanted to ‘quit’ tennis after her defeat at Roland Garros, as she now leaves Paris without a title once again.
The 28-year-old will look to move on from this defeat, as Sabalenka now diverts her attention to the grass court season.
What’s next for Aryna Sabalenka after shock French Open exit?
Sabalenka is scheduled to play just one grass court tournament ahead of Wimbledon this year, leading the stacked lineup at the Berlin Open, where nine of the top 10 WTA players have entered.
This will be Sabalenka’s sixth consecutive appearance at the Berlin Open, having achieved her best result at the WTA 500 tournament last year by reaching the semi-finals.
The main draw of the 2026 Berlin Open will get underway on Monday, June 15.
Sabalenka will then return to Wimbledon, which is the only Grand Slam tournament where she has not reached the final.