Aryna Sabalenka’s French Open preparations suffered a setback following a third-round defeat by Sorana Cirstea at the Italian Open, with the world No. 1 now looking to shake off an injury ahead of the Grand Slam that begins this month.
Sabalenka needed treatment late in her meeting with Cirstea on Saturday before she fell 2-6 6-3 7-5 for her second defeat in three matches after a quarterfinal loss to Hailey Baptiste at the Madrid Open last month.
“I feel like I didn’t play well from the beginning till the
end. I started really well, but I dropped the level,” four-time
Grand Slam champion Sabalenka said in Rome.
“I felt like my body was limiting me from performing at the
highest level. She stepped in and played incredible tennis. She
didn’t really give me many opportunities.
“That was a tough one. But I guess we never lose; we only
learn, so it’s okay.”
Sabalenka’s disappointing claycourt swing follows a stellar
run on hardcourts, during which she captured the Brisbane title,
reached the Australian Open final and claimed back-to-back
trophies in Indian Wells and Miami.
The Belarusian said she now hoped to recover her fitness in
time for the French Open, which gets underway in Paris on May
24, after losing last year’s final against Coco Gauff.
“I’d say that probably it’s like my lower back, connected to
the hip, which limited my full rotation,” the 28-year-old added.
“I guess we’re just going to have some days off. We’re going
to spend it on recovery. That’s the plan for now.”
Source: Khaleej Times