"Ton of turmoil off-court, could this have contributed to the collapse?" - Tennis world reacts to Aryna Sabalenka's French Open exit
Aryna Sabalenka's unexpected loss in the semifinals of the 2023 French Open has shocked the tennis world, evoking strong reactions from fans as well as former professionals like Brad Gilbert, Pam Shriver and Rennae Stubbs.
Karolina Muchova pulled off an incredible comeback in the 2023 French Open semifinal to win 7-6(5), 6-7(5), 7-5 and reach her first Slam final. The 26-year-old Czech was 2-5 and a match point down in the third set but she maintained her composure to stun Sabalenka.
Former tennis player and current tennis broadcaster and coach Pam Shriver called the semifinal a "memorable forever match."
"What a semi, what a comeback, and the beauty of the 2 of 3 set battle that lasts over 3 hours! Memorable Forever Match," Shriver wrote on social media.
What a semi, what a comeback, and the beauty of the 2 of 3 set battle that lasts over 3 hours! Memorable Forever Match.
Shriver also wondered whether the off-court turmoil could have affected Sabalenka's performance. During the 2023 French Open, Sabalenka played against Marta Kostyuk and Elina Svitolina from Ukraine, and both players refused to shake the Belarusian's hand after the match.
Sabalenka was also asked her opinion of Belarus president Alexander Lukashenko during one of her press conferences, which prompted her to take a mental health break from pressers over the next couple of days.
Trying to win a major is extremely hard and for Sabalenka she tried to win her second major with a ton of off court turmoil swirling. Could this have contributed to the collapse? The collapse indicted not enough in reserves for Sabalenka.
Australian tennis coach Rennae Stubbs highlighted the fact that Sabalenka lost 20 of the last 24 points, going from 5-2 up to 5-7 down in the third set.
"20 of the last 24 points! Boy oh boy! What a collapse! And what a fight from one of the nicest people you could meet! Karolina Muchova take a bow my friend! Take a bow!" Stubbs wrote.
20 of the last 24 points!!!! Boy oh boy!!! What a collapse! And what a fight from one of the nicest people you could meet! @karomuchova7 take a bow my friend! Take a bow!!!
Brad Gilbert, former coach of Andre Agassi and Andy Roddick, praised Muchova for the comeback. He highlighted that she is the third Czech player to reach the final at Roland Garros in the last six years; Marketa Vondrousova (2019) and Barbora Krejcikova (2021) are the other two.
needs a nicname, from 2-5 0-30 in 3rd set reels off 5 games on the trot to make 1st @rolandgarros final, 3rd Czech 
player in last 6 years to make finalWhat unbelievable effort from Muchova who definitely 💯 needs a nicname, from 2-5 0-30 in 3rd set reels off 5 games on the trot to make 1st @rolandgarros final, 3rd Czech 🇨🇿 player in last 6 years to make final
Aryna Sabalenka waited for the handshake that never came against Elina Svitolina at Roland Garros 2023
Aryna Sabalenka ended Elina Svitolina's resurgent run in the French Open 2023 quarterfinals by winning 6-4, 6-4. After the match, Svitolina refused to shake Sabalenka's hand as a sign of support for her country. The French Open crowd responded by booing the Ukrainian.
Svitolina had previously made it clear that she would not shake hands with any players from Belarus or Russia due to the ongoing war in her homeland.
"I don't know what she was waiting for, because my statements were clear enough about the handshake," Svitolina said later about Sabalenka waiting at the net.
Aryna Sabalenka on her part claimed that she came to the net instinctively to shake her opponent's hand.
"It just was an instinct like I always do after all my matches," Sabalenka said.