Aryna Sabalenka just wanted to get out of Paris. Within an hour of losing the French Open final to Coco Gauff, the World No 1 had already booked her flight to Mykonos for a few days of “alcohol, sugar and swimming like a tourist”. After a second painful defeat in a grand slam final in a row and watching Gauff lift the Coupe Suzanne Lenglen, Sabalenka skipped the usual platitudes in the on-court trophy ceremony and was typically self-critical when taking the microphone, describing her performance as “terrible”.
Barely 20 minutes later, Sabalenka’s appearance at her post-match press conference was so sudden that she beat most of the reporters into the media theatre. In no mood to hang around any longer, Sabalenka was left waiting at the press-conference table, scrolling on her phone impatiently, as everyone else filed into the room.
