Aryna Sabalenka has been told her emotional breakdowns in Grand Slams have “happened way too many times in two years” with renowned coach Patrick Mouratoglou saying, “when Aryna gets angry, she loses her tennis”.
The four-time Grand Slam winner suffered a double blow at the US Open as she lost her world No 1 ranking to Elena Rybakina and the Kazakh star then went on to deny her a hat-trick of titles in New York as she won the final 6-4, 5-7, 6-2.
As Mouratoglou puts it, “history repeated itself” as Sabalenka once again lost her cool during the final as she smashed a ball into the Arthur Ashe Stadium stands, which earned her a code penalty, destroyed her racket after the match and also had a run-in with a cameraman, telling him to “f*** off”.
The Belarusian has now lost four Grand Slam finals since the start of the 2025 season and she also had emotional breakdowns during several of those matches.
Mouratoglou, who has coached the great Serena Williams for more than a decade, believes Sabalenka would win more majors if she dealt better with her emotional management.
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“But let me start with Aryna. What we saw in New York has happened way too many times in two years,” he wrote on LinkedIn.
“She loses the final. She throws her racket before shaking her opponent’s hand. She goes to her chair and breaks a racket while Elena is celebrating. Then the camera comes to her and she tells it to go away or… “F*** off”.
“I understand the disappointment. Losing a Grand Slam final is heartbreaking, especially when you feel you have the tennis to win it. I understand she wants space. Those emotions are human and I’m not blaming her for feeling them, or for reacting that way. She knows she shouldn’t. She’s smart. She simply can’t help it.
“When things stop going her way, the emotion runs too high, she becomes very negative with herself and drags herself down. The more time passes, the more her level drops, because she is destroying herself. Think of the Roland Garros quarter-final she lost to Shnaider. Last set, 6-0.
“I’m not here to give advice. For me though, emotional management is the only reason she doesn’t win Grand Slams at the moment. It’s sad to see history repeat itself. Solve that, and she goes from a No 2 who doesn’t win majors to someone who wins many more and returns to No 1.
“What fascinates me is that this final opposed the world’s two best players, with opposite personalities. One is the fire, one is the ice. I don’t think I need to tell you who is who.
“It reminds me of McEnroe and Borg. Björn, always in control, not one word. John, breaking rackets, getting angry. One big difference: McEnroe played much better when he was angry. When Aryna gets angry, she loses her tennis.”
