Aryna Sabalenka has never been one to hide her emotions on the court, often laying her frustration bare when matches aren’t going her way. However, rather than viewing her emotional outbursts and racket smashes as a weakness, the world No. 1 considers them an important release that helps her reset mentally.
Why Aryna Sabalenka Justifies Her Emotional Outbursts As Necessary
Despite being the favorite to clinch her maiden French Open title, Sabalenka recently suffered a shock upset to Diana Shnaider in the quarterfinals of the clay-court Major. In the aftermath of the loss, the Belarusian came under fire from Serena Williams’ former coach Rennae Stubbs, who criticized her for “yelling at her box” and “throwing her racket” during the match.
However, in an interview with The Guardian ahead of Wimbledon, Sabalenka defended her emotional outbursts. She explained that venting her frustration helps her regain control during a match, even if it crosses the line on occasion.
“Even if sometimes you see me getting emotional or yelling at my box, it’s something that I need. It’s something that we spoke about with my team; that whenever I feel like I’m holding too much, just throw the racket, yell something, let it go. Now I’m in better control, but, of course, still I do things that I’m not proud of,” Aryna Sabalenka said.
The world No. 1 emphasized that attempting to suppress her emotions was “destroying” her psychologically. As a result, she asked her team to accept her heated reactions so she could focus on competing with a clear mind.
“See. Everyone says, ‘You have to be in control, you have to be flat with your emotions, don’t show anything.’ And I found it was destroying me from the inside. You’re just holding so much,” she added. “So I asked my team to be OK with me yelling at them; like, just throwing this aggression to someone that can handle it, just so I can continue fighting on the court.”
Sabalenka also reflected on how she has improved her on-court behavior since filming the Netflix documentary series “Break Point” in 2023, while acknowledging that keeping her emotions in check remains a constant work in progress.
“I think it’s always going to be on ongoing battle with my emotions. Life throws stuff at you you’ve never experienced before and you’re just going through different things for the first time. You don’t even know how you’re going to react, and you’re always fighting. And I have to say that since that series was recorded I have improved a lot. I’m definitely much better on court right now,” she said.
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As she turns her attention to this year’s grass-court Major, Aryna Sabalenka will be on the hunt for her maiden Wimbledon title and her first Grand Slam title of the season. The world No. 1 will kick off her campaign against qualifier Teodora Kostović on Monday, June 29.