Why World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka Said She Wanted to ‘Quit Tennis' After Shocking French Open Collapse

Up a set and serving for the match at 5-3, Sabalenka proceeded to lose 10 strsight games en route to a stunning French Open collapse.

Sabalenka suffered her earliest defeat at a major since the 2024 French Open. | Susan Mullane-Imagn Images

Aryna Sabalenka snatched defeat from the jaws of victory in devastating fashion in a stunning French Open quarterfinal loss to 25th-seeded Diana Shnaider on Wednesday at Court Philippe-Chatrier.

Sabalenka was up a set and serving for the match at 5-3 when she unraveled, and at times lost her cool, before dropping the next 10 games en route to an early exit so demoralizing that it left the world No. 1 feeling both emotionless yet also in one frame of mind in particular.

“No thoughts, no emotions. Just want to quit tennis right now,” Sabalenka said. “We’ll see in a few days. Hopefully I’ll be back on track mentally.”

"No thoughts, no emotions. Just want to quit tennis right now..."

Aryna Sabalenka after her loss to No. 25 Diana Shnaider 💔 #RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/C87w8mf6XM

— TNT Sports U.S. (@TNTSportsUS) June 3, 2026

Given the way the match played out, it’s difficult to blame Sabalenka for feeling that way.

How Sabalenka lost to Shnaider in French Open quarterfinal

Really, the tale of the tape can be found in one number: 57. That’s the number of unforced errors Sabalenka made compared to just 26 from Shnaider.

The turning point seemed to be in the second set when Sabalenka, up 5-3 and 30-15, missed a makeable volley that would have given her two match points on serve. Instead, the miscue became an opportunity for Shnaider, one she seized.

And unfortunately for Sabalenka, the mistakes continued to pile up. The third set was the worst possible combination for Sabalenka, who made 17 unforced errors while Shnaider, oozing with confidence and new life at that point, fired winners from all angles of the court en route to winning the lopsided third set—and the match.

Shocking defeat gives Sabalenka an all-too familiar feeling

If you were thinking Sabalenka’s loss was eerily similar to last year’s defeat in the French Open final to Coco Gauff, in which Sabalenka committed 70 unforced errors in the windy conditions, you weren’t alone. Sabalenka, while careful to avoid making any comments similar to last year’s unsportsmanlike post-match dig at Gauff, acknowledged that the match against Shnaider was at times equally a battle against the upstart Russian as it was a battle against the wind and herself.

“That’s another question—I don’t know why they would keep the roof open when it was crazy windy,” Sabalenka said. “But how can I complain if for almost the whole match everything was working okay for me, and then it just slipped away? I feel like it was getting crazy maybe just because mentally I wasn’t really okay.

“I remember even from last year they kept the roof open for us, and then the next day, in similar conditions, they closed it for the men – to make better conditions and better quality of tennis, I believe. I don’t know why they would keep it open. Even though I was winning, it was very dirty tennis. I don’t know how people could actually sit there and watch. And then at some point she stepped in and played unbelievable.”

But more so than her battle with the wind, Sabalenka was left frustrated by yet another loss when the match was seemingly on her racket. In this clay court season alone, Wednesday’s match was Sabalenka’s third defeat after decisively winning the first set. The repeated losses in this fashion have left the four-time major winner with much to ponder.

“Yeah, that’s what I’m saying,” Sabalenka said, noting the similarities between last year's French Open final loss and this one. “I just have to sit back and openly think about what’s going on in my head in those tough moments. I’m quite an experienced player, I’ve been through so many things and overcome so many things, and I just have to figure out that little thing that sometimes isn’t working for me – and hopefully I can overcome it.”

Given the internal strife, the way she lost and the reckoning with yet another opportunity to win her first major on clay gone by, it’s no small wonder that Sabalenka was in the frame of mind to say she’d want to quit the sport. No one should take that comment at face value, yet it’s clear the world No. 1 seems to be at a crossroads of sorts in her career.

---