Aryna Sabalenka’s loss to Diana Shnaider at the 2026 French Open stunned former ATP Pro Andy Roddick, who had once touted the Belarusian to be “the toughest athlete of all.” The Belarusian’s surprising 10-game losing streak led to an unexpected heartbreak, and former World No. 1 Andy Roddick didn’t hesitate to offer an impartial analysis of what threw Sabalenka off guard.

“There was no commitment to pain, to maybe an allowance, or to be patient with yourself,” said Roddick on the latest episode of the Served Podcast. “Um, I just hadn’t seen that from Sabalenka in a long, long time. Um, we’re kind of it; it felt like the emotions got the best of her.”

Roddick’s observation traces back to a specific moment in the second set, where Sabalenka had a 4-1 lead, with a double break, but let go of some cheap points. That is where the former American pro defined as the turning point in the match, stating that is where the Belarusian got overwhelmed by her emotions. He even went on to say that there was a lack of patience from Sabalenka, which was not a common occurrence with the World No. 1.

The former World No.1’s observations hold merit, as Sabalenka’s style disintegrated completely as the match slipped away from her. The Belarusian was affected by the windy conditions and could have gone for long rallies and gradually built points, but she went for explosive baseline winners, many of which she missed. The former American pro also had a plausible reasoning as to why Sabalenka’s meltdown really happened, what caused her to lose 10 games in a row after being 6-3, 5-3 up.

“It feels to me, and this is just purely a projection of what I’m seeing. I don’t know anything, but it feels like there’s fatigue from having to be so good every day, preparing the way you have to be to be number one, to stay there, and to perform at every grand slam,” said Roddick while hazarding a guess behind Sabalenka’s sudden loss of form.

As for Shnaider, she remained calm and was aware that Sabalenka was struggling with her emotions in the wind as well. The Russians adopted the clever strategy of making the top seed run on the court and forcing her to play an extra shot. While this was the defensive ploy, Shnaider was devastating with her swerving left-handed forehand, which was often picture-perfect, just touching the sidelines for winners. She used that shot down the line rather than going cross-court, making sure Sabalenka could not cover them.

Sabalenka’s erratic, high-risk style saw her lose the third set 6-0 to Shnaider, the first time a 6-0 set was inflicted on the Belarusian since her 2023 US Open match against Madison Keys. Giving up leads isn’t something new for Sabalenka before she became World No. 1, as was seen in her losses against Coco Gauff, Iga Swiatek, and Leylah Fernandez at the US Open in three successive years from 2021 to 2023, where she had lost the match after winning the first set or gave up a 4-2 lead in the third set.

One would have thought that Sabalenka had resolved the issue, but this loss against Shnaider, along with the Rybakina loss in Melbourne this year, where she had a 3-1 lead in the final set, shows it is still a work in progress for her. Meanwhile, Roddick brought up the final against Gauff last year in his analysis of Sabalenka’s loss to Shnaider as well.

Roddick Draws 2025 Parallels While Analyzing Aryna Sabalenka’s French Open Loss

Roddick was open in his parallel comparison between Sabalenka’s French Open losses in 2026 and 2025. The American pro pointed out that cloudy, windy conditions on a clay court were not ideal for Sabalenka’s style of play.

“But both of the days that she lost were kind of cold, kind of sh**ty, windy today. 35 mph gusts, it’s very similar to the conditions where she lost to Coco last year at the same tournament on the same surface, right”? Roddick pointed out.

Last year, at the French Open, Sabalenka suffered another loss, unable to handle the windy conditions on Court Philippe Chatrier. In that instance, Roddick gave the Belarusian her due, saying, “Um, I’m a bigger and bigger fan of Aryna’s all the time for many reasons. And I hope it’s tough to see uh the forest through the trees, but um you know, she’s going to be your favorite going into Wimbledon. She’s still the favorite in any tournament she enters.”

Wind is surely an obstacle that Sabalenka has struggled to master for some time now. She herself has openly discussed it being an issue way back in 2023 during the WTA Finals in Cancun. The Belarusian expressed her concerns about the windy conditions and stated she tried her best to adapt. However, she sustained easy losses to the likes of Swiatek and Rybakina, with the Belarusian visibly flustered by the wind, which affected her ball toss, disrupted her rhythm, and reduced the range of her baseline shots.

It will be intriguing to see how Sabalenka comes back after this loss. The Belarusian has come back before, rectifying her serve, but this time around, the challenge will be greater as the issue is mental. She did look jaded in her press conference, but one can expect the World No.1 to be at her full force at the grass court season.