Aryna Sabalenka may be in the Wimbledon semi-finals, but Laura Siegemund made it incredibly difficult for her.
The 37-year-old chopped, chipped and sliced her way to a one-set lead, and with a break in the third set, seemed poised to complete the most extraordinary of upsets.
Alas, the world number one showed why she is exactly that, with her champion’s mindset carrying her through in the end.
The match was somewhat marred by accusations of gamesmanship from Siegemund, who certainly took her time whilst serving.
And whilst Aryna Sabalenka was keen to distance herself from branding her style as ‘annoying’, her opponent was given the opportunity to potentially fire back in her post-match press conference.
Laura Siegemund asked about Aryna Sabalenka’s grunting
It’s ironic that, in her Wimbledon press conference, Siegemund was the one asked about what Sabalenka might have done wrong in a match where the BBC commentators consistently pointed out the German’s supposed gamesmanship.
And whilst she did take her time at each serve, and often delayed the Belarusian’s too, she did finish the match with just a sole time violation.
Alas, one reporter has sought to try and stir the pot further, as he asked: “I would like to ask you about Sabalenka’s moaning, screaming, practically throughout the match. It’s hard to bear sitting in the stands. I would like to ask you, how do you feel in such conditions? Is it difficult for you? Shouldn’t something be done about such behaviour?”
Siegemund was keen to distance herself from such an accusation, though: “Yeah, to be honest, I didn’t hear or see much of it.
“Like, when the – I heard sometimes that the crowd just goes, like, is unhappy with something. Honestly, I don’t know what she did, because I was just focusing on me, and when the point is over, I was going to the towel, and I didn’t really pay any attention to what she was doing after the points.
“I did hear a couple times that people were like, “She shouldn’t have done that”, but honestly, I’d have to watch it, what she was actually doing. I have no idea what she did.”
Aryna Sabalenka seems terrified after the French Open final
Understandably so, Sabalenka seems terrified to be seen as criticising any part of an opponent’s game after the French Open final.
After all, the backlash she received following what she said about Coco Gauff in the post-match was catastrophic, and even over a month on, continues to haunt her.
The 27-year-old definitely seems to have learnt her lesson, and has apologised on numerous occasions both in private and in public.
And yet, she remains haunted by her claims.
Sabalenka’s comments about losing to Gauff at Roland Garros were not good at all, and did come across as bitter and emotional.
But she is only human, and has owned her mistake so many times. She seems genuinely apologetic, and her reaction to potentially being related to calling Siegemund’s game ‘annoying’ only highlighted her fear.
She’s understandably terrified of being accused of coming across poorly and being lambasted again. Hopefully, this does not silence her bubbly and open personality in the long run.
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