Aryna Sabalenka’s run at Roland Garros came to a startling end on Wednesday afternoon.
Sabalenka, the overwhelming favourite to win her first Roland Garros title, suffered an astonishing collapse during her quarter-final contest against Dian Shnaider.
Sabalenka led the Russian 6-1, 5-3, before losing 10 consecutive games – and the match.
What’s next for Aryna Sabalenka after shock French Open exit?
The Belarusian was understandably distraught after the match, claiming that she felt like ‘quitting’ tennis after the loss.
Chris Eubanks has stepped in to defend Sabalenka, following her bold statement.
Chris Eubanks says Aryna Sabalenka was ‘refreshingly honest’ during her post-match press conference in Paris
“People are going to make a big deal about Aryna and what she says in the press conferences. Honestly, to me, it’s refreshing that she’s very honest,” the former Wimbledon quarter-finalist [pictured below] said on TNT Sports.
“I think we want her to be honest, we want athletes to be honest.
“The problem I often have at times is we ask for athletes to be honest in the press conferences, don’t give the cookie cutter responses of ‘oh, I’m just going to go back with my team and figure it out.’
“And when they give that honest assessment of how she feels after a match likes that… where I think a lot of tennis players who’d feel the exact same thing, then we want to criticise them and say ‘well, that’s not the way you’re supposed to act.’
“This is a job,” the American analyst continued. “This is a job; this is what you invest so much of your time, your life.
“You’re missing time away from your family, your friends, so many things – and it becomes your life.
“So when they come into the press conferences and give these honest assessments, ‘yeah I want to quit tennis right now based on how I’m feeling.’ That’s refreshing.
“There is no concern that she’s actually going to quit tennis. To me, that’s just her venting her frustrations and her emotions.
“And I know a lot of people may take it and run to social media and try to disparage her for her comments.
“To me, it’s a lot about nothing. She’s frustrated, she’s venting. Yes, we want to see champions, especially world number ones, go into the press conferences and give what we would view as the respectable answer.
“But honestly, I like the fact that she’s honest,” Eubanks reiterated. “I like the fact that she’s giving her unfiltered thoughts and opinions and I think sports in general needs a lot more of that.
“I think she’s going to be fine the rest of the year. She’s probably going to wake up tomorrow and kind of even laugh about certain moments of the match.
Aryna Sabalenka’s 2026 tournament results
- Australian Open – Runner-up
- Indian Wells – Champion
- Miami – Champion
- Madrid – Quarter-finals
- Italian Open – Third round
- Roland Garros – Quarter-finals
“So I don’t think it’s anything to be too concerned about. I love her refreshing honesty and look forward to seeing her back on the court.”
Following her loss in Paris, Sabalenka will turn her attention towards the grass-court swing.
The 28-year-old is set to begin her grass-court campaign at the Berlin Open – a WTA 500 event that begins on June 13.
Sabalenka is far from the only high-profile name competing at the event. The likes of Elena Rybakina, Coco Gauff and Mirra Andreeva are also set to compete in the German capital.
Sabalenka is then scheduled to travel west to London for the Wimbledon Championships.
How many WTA points is Aryna Sabalenka defending across the grass-court swing?
Sabalenka only played two grass-court tournaments last year: the Berlin Open and Wimbledon.
In Berlin, Sabalenka reached the semi-finals before losing to eventual champion Marketa Vondrousova.
In London, the Belarusian advanced to the semi-finals, where she was defeated by American Amanda Anisimova.
Consequently, Sabalenka will defend 975 ranking points during this year’s grass-court swing.
Following defeat in Paris, Sabalenka will be wary of losing the world number one spot to Elena Rybakina.
As per the live rankings, Sabalenka is on 9,090 points – 947 ahead of Rybakina.
