“I am such a loser, I hate myself”: Aryna Sabalenka’s raw post-Wimbledon reflection

Aryna Sabalenka recently opened up about the difficulties of living with both victory and defeat in a professional tennis career, as she reflects on her tough semifinal loss at Wimbledon. The world No. 1 has had no luck in this year's Grand Slams, coming agonizingly close to the title three times, falling in the final stages.

For several years, Sabalenka has been one of the protagonists of the WTA Tour, with a notable record of 20 titles – including three Grand Slams. However, the Belarusian has also known painful defeats, including 18 losses in finals, three of them in major tournaments.

The current world No. 1 maintains a good distance from her pursuers, Coco Gauff and Iga Swiatek, the most recent Grand Slam champions in Roland Garros and Wimbledon, but the Belarus still is looking for a major title this season.

The 26-year-old Sabalenka has been by far the most consistent in Grand Slam tournaments, though this has also meant being eliminated when the title seemed closer than ever, with her often being the favorite.

Indeed, Sabalenka has been the Tour leader this year. She first reached world No. 1 in September 2023 – shortly after winning the US Open, her first major title. She held the top spot for a total of 8 weeks until Poland's Iga Swiatek snatched it just before the season ended.

It took almost a year – a total of 50 weeks – before Sabalenka could reclaim the top of the ranking towards the end of 2024. Since then, she has found the consistency of a No. 1 and is the player with the most victories in the 2025 season, with a record of 47-9 and three titles this year.

She currently holds the top ranking for a consecutive 40 weeks, arriving at every tournament – regardless of the surface or venue – as the clear favorite.

In Grand Slam tournaments, she has been almost unyielding. In her last ten Grand Slam appearances, she reached six finals (3-3) and was eliminated in the semifinals four times. Her 'worst' performance? French Open 2024, where she reached the quarterfinals and fell to Russia's Mirra Andreeva. Since the start of 2024, she boasts a record of 35-4 in six main draws played, meaning on average, she secured practically six wins in every main draw she competed in.

This 2025, she reached finals at the Australian Open and French Open, falling on both occasions despite having a set lead. In her most recent Wimbledon, she was again the main title contender but couldn't overcome American Amanda Anisimova in the semifinals, once again missing out on the title. With a 17-3 record this year in major tournaments, she is the player with the most victories, but still hasn't claimed one of the big titles.

In a recent appearance on her new 'video-blog,' the Belarusian addressed the bittersweet nature of a tennis career, where even as world No. 1, dealing with defeats is something she is accustomed to. "I think it’s important to go and have fun and enjoy life. But it’s so f—— annoying about being an athlete, honestly. All your life depends on your result," the Belarusian said. "You win and you are the happiest person that you can be. You just enjoy, life feels so good. But when you lose it’s just tough to enjoy."

The three-time Grand Slam champion is seen in the hours following her defeat to Anisimova packing her bags and lamenting another loss. Sabalenka was about to go on vacation, but the bitterness was hard to shake off at that moment. "I am going to be there on the beach thinking it’s so beautiful, but I lost. I am such a loser. I hate myself. It’s like you are constantly living your life in these ups and downs."