Boris Becker questions Aryna Sabalenka’s ‘focus’ as he makes blunt social media comment
Tennis great Boris Becker has questioned if Aryna Sabalenka has “lost focus” on tennis following her difficult run of form heading into the 2026 US Open.
Sabalenka has held the world No 1 ranking for 97 consecutive weeks since October 2024, having been the most consistent WTA Tour player over the past two years.
The 28-year-old Belarusian star is, though, just 434 points clear of world No 2 Elena Rybakina, and she is in danger of losing top spot at the US Open.
Since winning the Miami Open in March, Sabalenka has failed to reach a final, and she has made just one semi-final, across seven tournaments.
The four-time Grand Slam winner fell in the fourth round in Cincinnati, Toronto and Wimbledon — which were her last three events.
Speaking with former WTA star Andrea Petkovic on the Becker Petkovic podcast, Becker debated whether tennis remains Sabalenka’s top priority.
“Is it a sporting question? Or is it a question of attitude and mentality? Because it all sounds to me like she isn’t handling the pressure right now, regardless of who the opponent is. She herself isn’t putting too much pressure on,” said the former world No 1 (translated from German).
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“The question is: why? I like her, I enjoy watching her, but at the moment, she is seen more often on her social media platforms than on the tennis court.
“That’s all fine. Maybe the focus has been lost a little. She has been playing successfully for a long time, has earned a lot of money, won a lot of titles, and so on.
“She’s recently engaged. Is her private life her focus right now? And tennis number two? Because that would explain it.”
The six-time Grand Slam champion went on to suggest that Sabalenka may benefit from adding a new coach to her team.
“Has she lost her inner belief in her own strength? That’s what I would judge as a hobby psychologist,” Becker continued.
“And that is also a sign, when you simply make these unforced errors in the decisive phases. You can play poorly sometimes, but the opponent can also hit the ball out. That’s why you should get the ball in, get into the rally first, maybe they’ll hit it into the net.
“But when she tries to go for a winner on the very first shot, that speaks to fear, that speaks to insecurity. That she doesn’t even want to get into the rally.
“But this hasn’t just happened once, it’s happened since April, and at some point, it really gnaws at your self confidence.
“Something is missing. The question is always, can the team around her provide that? Or, does she need a change of scenery?
“[Iga] Swiatek has a new coach since the spring: Francisco Roig. It doesn’t go well immediately, but now after three months, she has found her old form again.
“Does Sabalenka, perhaps, need a different approach, a different training mode. Because at some point, when you’ve been working successfully with your team for years, you’ve heard everything 11 times already, and it’s no longer that exciting.”
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