Aryna Sabalenka gives injury update ahead of Roland Garros after Rome defeat

Photo by Rich Storry/Getty Images

Sabalenka was clearly struggling physically, and it ended up costing her, as Sorana Cirstea capitalised to claim a notable win.

Cirstea made the most of Sabalenka’s issues to secure what could be one of the best victories of her career, though there’s no doubt the injury played a role in how the match unfolded.

It was clear from early on that Sabalenka wasn’t moving well. She later took a medical time-out for what appeared to be an issue with her lower back and hip.

This isn’t just about Rome either – there are now fresh doubts about whether she’ll be fully fit in time for Roland Garros.

Her comments after the match didn’t do much to ease those concerns either.

Sabalenka provides injury update following medical timeout

Photo by Rich Storry/Getty Images

During her post-match press conference, Sabalenka started by giving credit to Cirstea, making sure not to take anything away from her achievement in what is set to be her final season on tour.

She said: “She’s a fighter. It’s kind of like it’s sad to see her leaving because I feel like she’s one of those players that’s fighting no matter what. I felt like she could stay for longer. It’s her choice. We all respect that. I just wish her the best season to finish her career.”

Sabalenka was then asked about how serious the injury was and explained: “I’d say that probably it’s like my lower back, connected to the hip, which kind of like limiting me from the full rotation.

“I guess we just going to have some days off. We’re going to spend it on recovery. That’s the plan I believe for now.”

This is not what fans wanted to hear from last year’s Roland Garros finalist, especially with such an important event coming up.