Aryna Sabalenka has brushed aside the lack of support from fans during her 2023 Wimbledon Championships semifinal defeat to Ons Jabeur.
Jabeur came from set down to beat Sabalenka in two hours and 19 minutes on Thursday to reach her third career Grand Slam final. With a 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-3 win, the Tunisian became the first woman since Serena Williams (2018 and 2019) to reach back-to-back finals at SW19.
During the semifinal match, fans were extremely vocal in supporting Jabeur. When she lost the first set tie-break and trailed in the contest, they gave the World No. 3 strength in her comeback bid. Jabeur acknowledged the same in her on-court interview, thanking the fans for giving her the confidence to stay focused.
When asked about her opponent getting the lion’s share of fans’ support, Sabalenka stated that it was something she expected. The Belarusian went on to add that she can’t do anything if the crowd support her opponent.
“Well, I mean, I expect that. I knew that they going to support her more. I’m fine with that. If people support my opponent, what can I do about that? I’m focusing on myself. I know there is a lot of people watching on TV supporting me. I have my family. I have my team.
That’s enough for me,” she said in her post-match press conference.
Despite the defeat, Sabalenka expressed satisfaction with her performance and how her season has played out so far.
She began 2023 with her maiden Grand Slam title win at the Australian Open. In the two subsequent Majors, the French Open and Wimbledon, Sabalenka made semifinal exits.
“It’s definitely one of the best years so far. I mean, I can’t complain about my results this year, to be honest. The far you go, the more you want. It’s still tough to, yeah, recover after these kind of matches,” she added.
