Aryna Sabalenka reveals reason for French Open press conference no show after quarter final defeat

Aryna Sabalenka has opened up about the stomach bug that plagued her during a "difficult time" at the French Open, leading to her quarter-final defeat by Mirra Andreeva.

The world No. 2 was forced to cancel her post-match press conference in Paris but later spoke briefly with Roland Garros media. The Belarussian ace struggled visibly during the match, which saw her lose 7-6, 4-6, 4-6 to the 17-year-old prodigy Andreeva, who became the youngest Grand Slam semi-finalist since Martina Hingis in 1997.

Sabalenka sought medical help after securing the first-set tiebreak and appeared to be in discomfort throughout the game, often holding her stomach and taking painkillers during play. Initially set to share her thoughts in a post-match press conference, Sabalenka's absence was confirmed by a French Open statement citing "medical reasons" and her engagement with the tournament's medical team. The full statement read: "Aryna Sabalenka will be unable to attend her post-match press conference due to medical reasons and is currently with the tournament medical team."

However, hours after the match, Sabalenka provided some insight into her condition and the impact it had on her performance. "I had a difficult time out there physically today," she admitted. "I have been very sick the last few days with some kind of stomach bug, so it's been a challenge. It has been a few days, yes. I did my best to try to manage it."

The tennis star firmly dismissed any notion of retiring early from the match, stating: "No, I always do my best to fight to the end. I had to keep trying and just hope I could find a way and feel a bit better." Sabalanka praised Andreeva, calling her a "great player" and acknowledged that she gave it her all, saying,