Aryna Sabalenka suffered only her third defeat of the 2026 season against Sorana Cirstea on Saturday.
Cirstea, who is retiring from her playing career at the end of this year, proved too strong for Sabalenka; who later admitted that she was dealing with lower back pain during the contest.
Sabalenka, who was beaten 6-2, 3-6, 5-7 on the Italian Open Centre Court, will now turn her attention towards the French Open, which is set to begin on May 24.
Jim Courier and Tracy Austin – two former Grand Slam champions – have weighed in on Sabalenka’s shock defeat to Cirstea, advising the Belarusian on her next steps.
Is Aryna Sabalenka playing well enough to win the French Open?
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Jim Courier and Tracy Austin discuss Aryna Sabalenka’s plans after losing in Rome
Jim Courier and Tracy Austin, two legends of the sport who won Grand Slam titles in the 20th century, have offered their first reactions to Sabalenka’s stunning defeat in the Italian capital.
During the Tennis Channel discussion, Courier was asked a pertinent question by the host: “How does this [the loss] affect your belief in her [Sabalenka] heading into Roland Garros?”
Courier [pictured below] replied: “It’s all about her body. If her body is in shape… again, like we were talking about yesterday because of the way the seeds work, because of the 32 seeds in majors, you hopefully get a little runway to get a little rhythm once you get to Paris.
“But if she doesn’t have her back, she also mentioned her hip might have been involved in the problem when they overheard her talking to the physio on the court, you got to get that stuff right.
“We know how physical the clay can be, the points can be extended there compared to other surfaces.
“If she can get that right and she’s still going to be in there – if not the favourite, certainly one of them.”
After dealing with a physical ailment during Saturday’s loss to Cirstea, some fans may be concerned about the Belarusian’s hopes of being fully fit for Roland Garros.
However, Tracy Austin has allayed any fears, claiming the Belarusian would have retired from her match against Cirstea had the physical issue been severe enough to risk her French Open availability.
Austin [pictured below], the youngest Grand Slam champion in tennis history, said: “I think honestly that she’ll be fine.
“I don’t know how her back is, but if she was able to play five, six more games after having the physio come out. It was bothering her but it probably wasn’t to such an extent.
“If it was really bad she would have pulled out with Roland Garros right around the corner.
“She’s played so many matches, she’s already won 27 matches this year and three titles as well as winning at the Australian Open [Ed. note – Sabalenka finished as runner-up at the 2026 Australian Open].
“Maybe, just maybe, if I were her, I’d look at it with her team and, ‘this is going to make me more fresh going into Roland Garros.’
Courier agreed with Austin’s sentiment, noting that Sabalenka now has a fortnight to prepare for Roland Garros following her early exit in Rome.
“And two full weeks between now and the start of Roland Garros,” Courier remarked. “So that’s plenty of runway to get the rest, get the recovery, do whatever is necessary with your own team to get your body back.
“And then you’ll have the runway also to get your practice, to get your reps in also.”
Austin concluded: “Get your practice, yeah. Get there a week early, you’re fresh then, you’ve taken time off.
“Not only physically, but also mentally. She’ll probably go shopping a bit in Paris.”
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Sorana Cirstea makes history in Rome
As per statisticians OptaAce, Sorana Cirstea is now the fifth-oldest player to defeat the WTA world number one since the WTA rankings were first published in 1975
Cirstea was 36 years and 28 days old when she triumphed against Aryna Sabalenka on Saturday evening.
Serena Williams, a 23-time Grand Slam singles champion, is the oldest to have defeated a world number one.
Serena accomplished the feat at the 2019 Australian Open when – at the age of 37 years and 110 days – she defeated world number one Simona Halep 6-1, 4-6, 6-4 in the fourth round.
| Player | Age when they defeated a world number one |
| Serena Williams | 37 years and 110 days |
| Venus Williams | 36 years and 276 days |
| Martina Navratilova | 36 years and 120 days |
| Billie Jean King | 36 years and 95 days |
| Sorana Cirstea | 36 years and 28 days |
After defeating Sabalenka on Saturday, Sorana Cirstea will play 13th seed Linda Noskova in the Italian Open round of 16.
Should Cirstea triumph against Noskova, she will play Anna Kalinskaya or Jelena Ostapenko in the quarter-finals.
