Greg Rusedski tells Aryna Sabalenka what she should do next following her defeat to Naomi Osaka at Wimbledon

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Greg Rusedski has suggested that Aryna Sabalenka may need a break from tennis after her Wimbledon defeat to Naomi Osaka.

Sabalenka said she wants to “forget about tennis” and “try to get in better shape” after the loss, which took place on Centre Court at the All England Club.

After one hour and 28 minutes of action, 14th seed Osaka beat the WTA number one and top seed 6-2, 7-6(7-2) in the round of 16.

She now meets Karolina Muchova in the Wimbledon quarterfinals, while Sabalenka has received advice from former player Rusedski after her surprising exit.

Greg Rusedski suggests Aryna Sabalenka needs ‘time away’ after Wimbledon exit

Speaking on his Off Court podcast, Rusedski said of the Belarusian: “She does need to control the emotion but it’s also interesting to watch her play.

“Her movement does not look quite as good as before. Her mentality is not there. She said that she needs to get fit again and that is one of the key ingredients.

“Maybe she needs a bit of time away from the game and then to get ready for her favourite Slam. She has always played well at the US Open.

“It’s almost like she needs a bounce back. We thought the rivalry was going to be Sabalenka and [Elena] Rybakina at the start of the year and now it’s like who is going to emerge at Wimbledon?”

Sabalenka boasts four Grand Slam titles at the age of 28, all of which have come on hard courts, at the Australian Open and the US Open.

Greg Rusedski confident of Naomi Osaka’s chances at Wimbledon

Intriguingly, Osaka has the exact same Grand Slam title record as Sabalenka, winning two Australian Open titles and two US Open titles.

But she is now enjoying her best-ever Grand Slam run on grass, with Rusedski really liking her chances of winning Wimbledon.

When asked if the former world number one is a contender to go all the way in London, he said: “No question about it.

“That is the best she has played on a grass court. Historically she has always been good on the hard courts. That is where she won two Australians, two US Opens.

“The clay and the grass in the past has been the surface she has always struggled with but today she looked so good.”

Osaka does indeed look in fine form at Wimbledon, where she has now knocked out Sabalenka, Elsa Jacquemot, Anastasia Gasanova and Daria Kasatkina without dropping a set.

But the 28-year-old is set for a very tough test against Muchova, who has fittingly won three and lost three of her matches against Osaka ahead of their Wimbledon clash.