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World number one Aryna Sabalenka admitted she wanted to 'drink heavily' and forget about tennis after her shock fourth-round exit at Wimbledon.

Sabalenka lost 6-2, 7-6 to Naomi Osaka, despite having beaten the Japanese star three times earlier this year. The defeat ended her streak of 14 consecutive Grand Slam quarterfinal appearances and marked her first straight-sets loss at a major since the 2020 US Open.

Commenting on her performance, Sabalenka admitted she was far from her usual level: 'If you look at the rankings, I am currently world number one. But in terms of level of play, today I was not the world number one. I don't even want to think about the ranking now. Honestly, I feel like I gave my best, but for some reason, I wasn't at the required level.'

The Belarusian then gave a very frank assessment of how she would deal with the disappointment: 'I just want to leave, drink heavily, forget about tennis, and come back better.'

She also warned journalists not to expect an enjoyable press conference: 'Listen guys, if you were hoping for something fun, it's not happening. I'll give you short answers. My level was very low today. I messed up this year, and I'll try to perform better next year.'

Sabalenka has not won any Grand Slam title in 2026, and will now turn her attention to the US Open, where she is the defending champion for the past two editions.

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