At the Madrid Open, Aryna Sabalenka heartbreakingly squandered six match points in a quarter-final defeat to Hailey Baptiste, marking only her second loss of the year. She aimed to rebound at the Italian Open, a trophy that has always eluded her, only to face crushing disappointment as she battled a mid-match injury against Sorana Cîrstea. Now, her abrupt exit, the earliest in 15 months, left fans stunned and her dreams hanging by a fragile thread, with injury concerns looming ominously.

At the post-match press conference, Aryna Sabalenka was asked about her lower back and hip injury. “I feel like I didn’t play well from the beginning till the end. I started really well, but I dropped the level,” the four-time Grand Slam champion said in Rome.

“I felt like my body was limiting me from performing at the highest level. She stepped in and played incredible tennis. She didn’t really give me many opportunities. That was a tough one. But I guess we ‌never ⁠lose; we only learn, so it’s okay.”

Sabalenka’s disappointing clay-court swing follows a stellar hard-court season. She captured the Brisbane title, reached the Australian Open final, and claimed back-to-back trophies at Indian Wells and Miami.

The Belarusian said she now hopes to recover in time for the French Open, which begins in Paris on May 24. “I’d say that probably it’s like my lower back, connected to the hip, which limited my full rotation,” the 28-year-old added.

“I guess we’re just going to have some days off. We’re going to spend it on recovery. That’s the plan for now.” The injury became apparent during the third set, forcing her to take a medical time-out for treatment on her lower back and hip.

Sabalenka’s performance appeared sloppy after that, with the world No. 1 struggling to hide her frustration, muttering to herself throughout the contest. In the end, the four-time Grand Slam champion lost 2-6, 6-3, 7-5 to the 27th-ranked Romanian Sorana Cîrstea, who is retiring at the end of the season.

“She doesn’t need an introduction,” Cîrstea said after the match. “I’m very happy with the win. I thought I played really well today. I’m working really, really hard. It’s nice to have this result as a payoff.”

While Sabalenka’s injury update now raises concerns about her French Open preparation, she has now been added to the growing list of players facing fitness worries ahead of Roland Garros.

Aryna Sabalenka tops the list of stars facing fitness concerns before the French Open

Aryna Sabalenka is the second major player to exit the Italian Open in the early rounds after Novak Djokovic suffered a shock defeat on Friday, May 8. The 38-year-old Serbian lost to 20-year-old Croatian Dino Prižmić in the second round.

Djokovic, who has not won a major since the 2023 US Open, has had a difficult first half of 2026, having not competed since Indian Wells in March. He returned to action at the Italian Open after recovering from a shoulder injury, receiving a first-round bye before his surprising loss.

The match ended 2–6, 6–2, 6–4 in favor of Prižmić, marking another early exit for the veteran.

Speaking after his defeat, Djokovic admitted he must now accept the reality of battling fitness issues as he nears his 39th birthday. “It’s not an ideal preparation, to be honest,” Djokovic said. 

“I don’t recall the last time I had in the last couple of years a preparation where I didn’t have any kind of physical issues or health issues coming into the tournament. There’s always something. Kind of a new reality that I have to deal with. It is frustrating. At the same time it’s my decision to still perform in that kind of state and conditions. It is what it is.”

Alongside Djokovic, World No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz has already confirmed he will miss the French Open due to a wrist injury, aiming to return before the grass-court season.

With both Sabalenka and Djokovic struggling with fitness, questions now arise about whether they will return at full strength for Roland Garros.