Aryna Sabalenka decided to withdraw from a tournament when she was still in the process of recovery after the defeat in the Wimbledon semi -final against Amanda Anisimova.
After the shock was eliminated in the Wimbledon semi -finals, Sabalenka did not attend a tournament for the US Open in Montreal. The world's No. 1 player was defeated by Amanda Anisimova with a score of 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, the match marked Anisimova's return after the tennis break.
Despite accepting bravery and even expressing interest in a fans who had medical problems in the stands, Sabalenka still criticized Anisimova for violating Wimbledon's regulations. The Belarus player recently encountered failures in the Grand Slam finals. She lost to Madison Keys at the Australian Open final, where she vented anger by beating the racket, and then collapsed before Coco Gauff in Roland Garros.
In a statement, Sabalenka explained: “I am looking forward to the beginning of the hard yard tournament in North America, but to ensure the best chance of success this season, I decided not to attend the Montreal for my health.”
Despite the recent stumbling, Sabalenka still maintained its peak performance, which was clearly shown through the No. 1 position on the WTA rankings. In 2025, she reached 7 finals and won 3 titles in Brisbane, Miami and Madrid. This leads to fatigue after Wimbledon.
After the defeat of Anisimova, Sabalenka said emotionally: “I think, although I have lost many finals, and failed in major matches at this year's Grand Slam, I still feel proud of the stability that I maintain up to this point. There are many things to be proud.”
“These experiences make me even more hungry and determined next year. The painful failures will help me return stronger. I have a lot of expectations in the next season.”
Another unhappy news for the Montreal tournament is that Spanish player Paula Badosa is also forced to withdraw from injury. She said she was having a problem with pelvic lumbar muscles (PSOAS), an injury that worsened the trouble on her back from Wimbledon 2023.
Currently, Sabalenka is focusing on the recovery process and preparing to protect the title at the US Open. Last year, she won this tournament after defeating Jessica Pegula in the final.
After the defeat at Wimbledon, Sabalenka frankly shared about the mental burden when playing at the highest level: “Losing a bad life. You always feel like you want to disappear from this world, feeling like life has ended. Each time you play in this tournament and go deep, you always think that you are approaching the dream. Then you lose, and feel like: 'OK' '.