Best vs Best… and the Queen might fall, but anger the bubbles up! It’s youth vs experience. Power vs guile. No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka is taking on the oldest first-time Wimbledon quarterfinalist, Laura Siegemund, in a match packed with tension and twists. But this time, the queen’s crown is clearly under threat. Sabalenka, the tournament favorite, started off on the back foot, and her frustration was loud and clear, not just with herself, but with the ball boys too.

She lost the first set 6-4 after being broken twice early. Sabalenka was visibly agitated during the fifth game, throwing her arms up and rolling her eyes when the ball boys weren’t quick enough to get the balls to her. At one point, she knocked a few balls back in frustration after having to wait for them to be rolled across from Siegemund’s end. The boiling point showed just how unsettled she was by the unexpected dominance of her German opponent.

Siegemund, ranked 104th in the world and 37 years old, has been absolutely fearless. Mixing smart slices, drop shots, and perfectly timed winners, she dismantled Aryna Sabalenka’s rhythm from the very start. She jumped to a 3-0 lead, forcing Sabalenka into uncharacteristic errors. The Belarusian, who hadn’t dropped a set all tournament, found herself being pulled in every direction, mentally and physically. Commentator Tracey Austin summed it up best: “You never know what’s coming next from Siegemund, I would hate to play her. She has you on a string when she is playing her best.”

While the match remains on tenterhooks in the second set, the first-set loss served as a wake-up call for Sabalenka. The queen may have stumbled, but knowing her fire, she wouldn’t go down without a fight. But Aryna Sabalenka has a history of showing visible frustration and anger during matches. Remember when she smashed rackets?

Aryna Sabalenka’s wildest court outbursts

Her frustrations haven’t just exploded in finals. At the Miami Open (March 2025), after a shocking loss to Anhelina Kalinina, she smashed her racket three times mid-court. During the Stuttgart Open (April 2025), she was issued a warning after pulling out her phone to photograph a disputed ball mark, a move many saw as over the line. By the time she reached the French Open Final (June 2025) against Gauff again, she broke down emotionally, blaming herself for 70 unforced errors and later calling her press conference behavior “completely unprofessional.” Sabalenka did apologize, showing a willingness to reflect on her emotional missteps.

Even mid-tier matches and smaller moments haven’t escaped her temper. At the Italy Open (May 2025), a heckling fan pushed her over the edge, and she responded by shouting “Shut the f*** up”, drawing a code violation for audible obscenity. Just weeks later, at the Berlin Open, she furiously confronted the umpire after play was suspended due to slippery conditions, demanding the match continue. And this isn’t entirely new behavior. Back in 2018 at the China Open, Sabalenka angrily shook a bottle at a ball boy, then tossed it away. That time, she publicly apologized, admitting, “ I was [losing] my mind.” Passionate and powerful, Aryna Sabalenka’s emotions are raw and real, though at times, they’ve come at a cost to her image and poise on court.