Aryna Sabalenka is in no mood to think about her World No. 1 position after her premature exit at the 2026 Wimbledon Championships. The 28-year-old’s run came to a halt with a 6-2, 7-6(2) defeat to Naomi Osaka in the fourth round. This marked her earliest defeat at a Grand Slam since the 2022 French Open.
During her post-match press conference, Sabalenka said she planned to disconnect from tennis to rest and recover ahead of the North American hard-court swing.
Aryna Sabalenka Reflects on Wimbledon Defeat
After a remarkable Sunshine Double (Indian Wells and the Miami Open) victory in March, Sabalenka hasn’t won a single title in five tournaments that she has contested. She has also not won a single Grand Slam so far in 2026, her best result being runner-up at the Australian Open.
Following her fourth-round defeat to Osaka, the World No. 1 dropped 540 ranking points after failing to defend her semifinal points from last year, while her bid for a maiden Wimbledon title also came to an end.
She, however, maintained her composure during the press conference. “No emotions. Just know that I can handle myself much better than last year.”
Asked whether her recent results had left her questioning her ranking, she responded, “I mean, let’s just look at the ranking. So, right now I’m World No. 1. Level-wise, today I wasn’t World No. 1. Yesterday I was World No. 1.”
She then brushed aside the idea of delving into tennis-related topics, hinting she needed a break to reset both mentally and physically.
“I feel like I just don’t want to even think about ranking at this point. I just want to go get completely drunk, forget about tennis, and try to get in better shape.”
Sabalenka’s early exit has boosted World No. 2 Elena Rybakina’s chances of overtaking her as World No. 1 during the North American hard-court swing. Rybakina, who also suffered an early exit at Wimbledon, losing in the third round, trails her rival by 407 points. She has 1,020 points to defend across the swing, while the reigning US Open champion has 2,215 points to defend.
The Belarusian star would hope to return to her best form to continue her reign on the top spot in women’s tennis.
