Aryna Sabalenka's Grand Slam days are over? Former World No.1 in supposed decline after US Open loss

Tuesday, 22 September 2026 at 21:00

Aryna Sabalnkea looks up during her first round clash at US Open 2026.

Aryna Sabalenka's Grand Slam winning days are seen as perhaps being over which is the view of the co-host of the Rennae Stubbs Podcast in Caitlin Thompson.

Thompson spoke on the podcast she hosts with the iconic doubles star believing that the best is not still to come for Sabalenka and that she is in decline after her first slamless year since 2022.

The founder of Racquet magazine sees the fact that Sabalenka capitulated multiple times in big games as a telltale sign that she will not add to her four majors unless she makes big changes.

She said that others have in theory figured Sabalenka out and that she is vulnerable in tough moments. This in her view compared to the likes of Coco Gauff who still will manage to fight for titles as she battles to the absolute death.

Aryna Sabalenka at the finals in Arthur Ashe Stadium during The US Open

Stubbs refutes claim but is Sabalenka in decline?

The whole decline was refuted by Stubbs who said that she can add to her count. But Thompson counteracted that by saying that her mentality issues are worse than ever.

“I don’t think Sabalenka is going to get any more. I think she’s in decline. I think everyone else has sort of figured her out, so she’s revealed that she’s very vulnerable in tough moments," she said on the Rennae Stubbs Tennis Podcast.

“You know who is not? Coco Gauff. She might not win all the matches and get to all the finals, but you know she’s going to fight you to the death.”

Those mentality issues linked in her view to the defeat to Jessica Pegula in Berlin in June as Sabalenka easily lost the deciding set 6-0. Thompson said that despite the fact the US Open champion beat her at Flushing Meadows easily, this showed that perhaps something isn't quite right.

Patrick Mouratoglou too just this week has called out Sabalenka's mentality with a McEnroe and Borg comparison, but saying that unlike McEnroe, Sabalenka can't control her emotions which albeit was refuted by Pegula speaking this week.

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“The capitulation of it [the Pegula loss]. There’s a weird thing going on with her mentally that I think is more telling and troubling than when she had the yips, or the semi-final blockage from a couple of years ago that she finally pushed through to ascend. I think she has got to make major changes.”

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Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.

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