After a season full of heartbreaking losses in the final stages of Grand Slams, World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka earned her first major of the year with a 6-3, 7-6 (3) win over Amanda Anisimova in New York. Fresh off her memorable victory at the US Open, Sabalenka has opened up on the “Jay Shetty Podcast” about her struggles with revisiting painful defeats, especially in finals.
Aryna Sabalenka Has Said Avoiding Watching Lost Finals Is Linked to Mental Trauma
When asked how long it takes before she can watch a match back after losing, Sabalenka admitted that she never does. Instead, her team members go through the game to prepare the strategy for future matches.
“I have to be honest, I never watched my finals that I lost,’ Sabalenka told Shetty. “I let my team do that and bring me on the plate, ‘Okay, you did this this and this wrong.'”
She continued, “I know like, mentally, emotionally, what I did wrong and where I made the mistake in the way I approached the final or what was my mindset. I know this part. But the tennis part I let my team figure, then they bring it, they tell me, I remember because I don’t wanna watch it. I don’t wanna see myself there losing.”
The Belarusian also admitted that watching herself in those moments brings her immense discomfort. “The finals that I lost earlier this season, I was like not behaving my best. And I hate seeing myself being not the kindest person.”
For Sabalenka, avoiding replays is about protecting her mental health, the World No. 1 has revealed. “You just want to learn it, make sure that it’s never gonna happen again and forget it. Like, forget it like a nightmare because I feel that watching it back, it just triggered that pain and something that you wanted to forget badly. So, for my mental health, it’s better not to watch it.”
Before her victory in New York, Sabalenka came agonizingly close to winning the title in each major. She lost in the finals of the Australian and French Opens to Madison Keys and Coco Gauff, respectively, while Sabalenka lost to Anisimova in the semifinals of Wimbledon.
Aryna Sabalenka Triggered Major Controversy After Heartbreaking Loss to Coco Gauff at the French Open
Sabalenka’s fiery competitiveness has always been one of her defining traits, but at times it has also led to moments she later regretted. After her 6-7 (5), 6-2, 6-4Â loss to Coco Gauff at Roland Garros, Sabalenka had downplayed her opponent’s role in the match, suggesting her mistakes were the deciding factor.
“I think she won the match not because she played incredible, just because I made all of those mistakes from, if you look from the outside, kind of like from easy balls,” she said, a remark that sparked widespread backlash.
The comments drew criticism for appearing dismissive of Gauff’s performance. In hindsight, Sabalenka admitted that her words were more a reflection of her frustration than of her true feelings. “I never intended to attack her,” she later clarified. “I was super emotional and not very smart at that press conference. I’m not necessarily grateful for what I did. It took me a while to go back and think about it, to approach it with open eyes, and to understand. I realized a lot about myself. Why did I lose so many finals?”
The episode underscored the emotional weight of competing at the highest level, where even world-class champions must balance raw intensity with perspective.
