Aryna Sabalenka says injury caused her surprising loss at the Italian Open, raising worries about the French Open.
World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka had a tough time at the Italian Open, losing her second match out of three to Sorana Cîrstea in the third round. Sabalenka had to take a medical time-out because of a lower back and hip injury, which has raised worries about whether she’ll be able to play at the French Open starting in just nine days.
Last month, Sabalenka also missed six match points in the Madrid Open quarter-final before losing to Hailey Baptiste. This time in Rome on May 9, she lost 2-6, 6-3, 7-5 to Cîrstea, who’s ranked 27th. Sabalenka looked frustrated during the match and was heard muttering to herself. She didn’t attend the post-match press conference but shared with the WTA Tour that her body felt like it was holding her back. She said her lower back and hip were limiting her movements and that she plans to take some time off to recover.
Cîrstea, who plans to retire at the end of the season, praised Sabalenka after her win. “She doesn’t need an introduction,” said the Romanian. “I’m really happy with the win and proud of how hard I’ve worked. This result feels like a reward.” Cîrstea will play world No.13 Linda Noskova next.
Sabalenka is the second big player to leave the Italian Open early, following Novak Djokovic’s surprising loss to 20-year-old Dino Prižmić on May 8. Djokovic also mentioned having physical struggles lately and said it’s frustrating to deal with ongoing health issues before tournaments. World No.2 Carlos Alcaraz has already announced he’ll miss the French Open because of a wrist injury.