Aryna Sabalenka told she is ‘going to have to start proving herself’ by Jimmy Connors

Ewan West 15 Jul 2026 6:55 PM

Aryna Sabalenka with Jimmy Connors inset

Tennis great Jimmy Connors has asserted that Aryna Sabalenka “is going to have to start proving herself” after the Belarusian’s fourth round exit at Wimbledon.

Sabalenka’s bid to win her maiden Wimbledon title at the 2026 edition of the Championships ended with a surprise 2-6, 6-7(2) loss to No 14 seed Naomi Osaka.

Wimbledon is the only Grand Slam tournament where Sabalenka is yet to reach the final, and it is her least successful major by win percentage (73%).

The world No 1’s last 16 exit in London was her earliest defeat at a Grand Slam since the 2022 French Open, ending her streak of reaching the quarter-finals or better at 14 consecutive majors.

Sabalenka has occupied top spot in the WTA Rankings for 91 straight weeks, but she has won just one of the last seven Grand Slams: the 2025 US Open.

The 28-year-old is a four-time Grand Slam champion, and she has also lost in four major championship matches.

Sabalenka’s Wimbledon exit followed her shock collapse at Roland Garros, where she lost 12 of the last 13 games in her quarter-final defeat to Diana Shnaider after leading 6-3, 4-1.

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Speaking on his Advantage Connors podcast, Connors expressed confusion when discussing Sabalenka’s latest Grand Slam setback.

“Sabalenka is going to have to start proving herself, to me, now,” said Connors, and eight-time major winner and former world No 1.

“I don’t know what to say now about her. We’ve talked about her for so long and she’s got us on this rollercoaster ride… the ups and the downs.

“Because we know she’s got the game, she has proven that, the way she plays. I mean, I would like to have an answer. I just don’t.”

In her press conference after her Wimbledon exit, Sabalenka was asked if she felt like the No 1 player in the world.

“Oh, this question, guys. I mean, let’s just look at the ranking. Right now, I’m world No 1,” she replied.

“Level-wise, today I wasn’t world No 1. Yesterday I was world No 1. I feel like I just, you know, I don’t even want to think about ranking at this point.

“I just want to go, get completely drunk, forget about tennis, and try to get in better shape (smiling).”