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Jim Courier explains what Aryna Sabalenka must do next
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- Jim Courier explains what Aryna Sabalenka must do next
Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images
Sorana Cirstea handed Aryna Sabalenka just her third loss of the 2026 season on Saturday, with the Romanian taking a three-set win at the Italian Open.
Cirstea, who is set to retire at the end of this year, was too strong on the day. Afterwards, Sabalenka mentioned she had been dealing with lower back pain during the match.
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Sabalenka lost 2-6, 6-3, 7-5 on Centre Court and will now shift her focus to Roland-Garros, which gets underway on May 24.
Courier said: “She had just over an hour break in between; it looked like she was getting some medical treatment for what we think is a sore back.”
Jim Courier and Tracy Austin discuss Aryna Sabalenka’s plans after losing in Rome
Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images
Jim Courier and Tracy Austin, both former Grand Slam winners, shared their thoughts on Aryna Sabalenka’s unexpected loss in the Italian capital.
During a Tennis Channel segment, the host posed an important question to Courier: “How does this [the loss] affect your belief in her [Sabalenka] heading into Roland Garros?”
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Courier replied: “It’s all about her body. If her body is in shape… again, like we were talking about yesterday because of the way the seeds work, because of the 32 seeds in majors, you hopefully get a little runway to get a little rhythm once you get to Paris.
“But if she doesn’t have her back, she also mentioned her hip might have been involved in the problem when they overheard her talking to the physio on the court; you got to get that stuff right.
“We know how physical the clay can be; the points can be extended there compared to other surfaces. If she can get that right and she’s still going to be in there – if not the favourite, certainly one of them.”
Cirstea’s victory over Sabalenka came after two hours and 22 minutes of play inside Foro Italico.
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Tennis fans may be worried about whether Sabalenka will recover fully for Roland Garros after picking up a knock against Cirstea.
Austin reassured fans by suggesting that had it been serious enough to jeopardise her French Open participation, Sabalenka would have retired from Saturday’s match against Cirstea.
Austin said: “I think honestly that she’ll be fine. I don’t know how her back is but if she was able to play five or six more games after having physio come out it was bothering her but probably wasn’t such an extent.”
She added: “If it was really bad she would have pulled out with Roland Garros right around the corner. She’s played so many matches; she’s already won 27 matches this year and three titles as well as winning at Australian Open.”
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Cirstea sets new mark with Rome win
Sorana Cirstea has become just the fifth-oldest player ever to defeat a WTA world number one since rankings began in 1975 according to OptaAce statistics.
The Romanian will face 13th seed Linda Noskova next. A win there would set up a quarter-final clash against either Anna Kalinskaya or Jelena Ostapenko.
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