World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka suffered one of the most unexpected losses of her career at the French Open, crashing out in the quarterfinals to rising star Diana Shnaider. However, after the 3-6, 7-5, 6-0 upset, Sabalenka took direct aim at tournament organizers over the way they handled the stadium roof, pointing to a double standard that favors the men’s draw.
Aryna Sabalenka’s Honest Admission About Roof Decision After Windy French Open Defeat
The match initially appeared to be a routine victory for the top seed. The Belarusian had the upper hand, having won the first set 6-3, and held a 4-1 lead in the second. When she was just two points away from securing her spot in the semifinals, she lost her rhythm. Shnaider capitalized on the opening, winning ten consecutive games and defeating the world No. 1 in the decider.
Sabalenka was visibly frustrated as the match slipped away, screaming and shouting at herself and at her team after falling behind in the final set.
In her post-match press conference, she calmly acknowledged the loss while expressing her disappointment. “No thoughts, no emotions. I want to quit tennis right now. We’ll see in a few days if I’m back on track,” Sabalenka said.
However, she also criticized officials’ decision to leave the Court Philippe-Chatrier roof open during a very windy Paris afternoon, without using the wind as the sole excuse for her loss.
“I don’t know why they would keep the roof open when it was crazy windy,” Sabalenka told reporters. “Even though I was winning, it was very dirty tennis. I don’t know how people could actually sit there and watch. But how can I complain if for almost the whole match everything was working okay for me, and then it just slipped away?”
Sabalenka highlighted a frustrating discrepancy in how Roland Garros handles challenging weather for women compared to men.
“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,” she remarked. “I don’t know why they would keep it open.”
The 2025 French Open men’s semifinal between Carlos Alcaraz and Lorenzo Musetti on Court Philippe-Chatrier was, in fact, played under a closed roof, as it had rained a bit in the morning (not during the match) and there were some gray clouds.
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Sabalenka also admitted she had slipped into a “very deep, dark hole” mentally during that 10-game losing streak, while giving full credit to Shnaider, who advanced to her maiden Grand Slam semifinal.
While Schnaider will face Poland’s Maja Chwalińska in the semifinal tomorrow, Sabalenka will now be shifting her focus to win her first Grand Slam of the year at Wimbledon.
