Aryna Sabalenka has given her verdict after Jannik Sinner suffered a surprise early exit at the French Open.
Sinner had been a heavy favourite for the tournament following the injury withdrawal of Carlos Alcaraz but the Italian was defeated by both Juan Manuel Cerundolo and the Parisian heat in the second round.
Watching on as the men’s top seed exited was the women’s top seed Sabalenka who gave her reaction to Sinner’s early departure.
“I felt really bad for him,” she said. “I always cheer Jannik on, and seeing him suffer like that was quite painful.
“I was confident he was going to win, right down to the last ball, and I expected him to. I wasn’t thinking at all about my schedule or when I was going to play: if my match started later, that was fine. I was just worried he wouldn’t be able to close out the match.
“What happened to him is sad, but I’m convinced he’ll come back even stronger. Now it’s time, I suppose, to do some recovery, get some rest, and be ready for the grass court season. It’s a shame to see him leave the tournament so early.”
Sinner put the loss down to feeling unwell, saying his head was “spinning” as the match went on.
“During the third set, I started well, but then I began to struggle. Congratulations to him because he deserved it. His game was solid, and that’s sport.
“I felt unwell, my head was spinning, and I had no more energy. Nothing was coming out. I tried to serve for the match, but I didn’t have much left. I let the fourth set go, then the first game of the fifth was tough, I couldn’t hold on anymore, and everything started going downhill.
“I felt it this morning. I didn’t sleep very well and was already struggling a bit when I woke up.”
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Sinner was not the only male player Sabalenka commented on as she passed judgment on teenage sensation Moise Kouame.
Sabalenka revealed she had spent some time with the 17-year-old who was playing “at an incredibly high level of tennis.”
“He’s 17, right? That’s great,” she said. “I was cheering him on too. I had the chance to chat with him for a few minutes since we’re staying at the same hotel, and we did an activity together, so we were able to talk. He’s a really nice guy. I wish him all the best, and I hope he can have his breakout moment in this tournament.
“He’s been playing at an incredibly high level of tennis. I was really cheering him on during the super tiebreak, so happy he closed it out.”
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