World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka again expresses burnout following Wimbledon loss to Naomi Osaka

Don't anticipate Sabalenka rebounding quickly. She's clearly a long way from her peak after struggling against Osaka. The Japanese star won 70 points in the match, while the four-time Grand Slam champion won 57. Sabalenka also failed to win any break points. Osaka, meanwhile, captured two.

Even more concerning for Sabalenka fans is that she appeared to have all the advantages in Sunday's match. Osaka had lost her last three matches to Sabalenka and hadn't beaten her since 2018.  

Grass isn't Osaka's best surface, either. Per TennisLive.com, she has won 60.38 percent of her 367 career matches on grass. Compare that to hard courts, where she has won 65.95 percent of her matches.  

At the rate she's going, Sabalenka may fail to win a Grand Slam for the first time since 2022. After winning the U.S. Open and reaching the finals in two of the other majors in 2025, she has failed to reach the semifinals at two of the three tournaments in 2026. She made the Australian Open final but lost to Elena Rybakina 4-6, 6-4, 4-6. 

She'll try to avoid going without at a Grand Slam at the U.S. Open in Flushing, N.Y. (scheduled Aug. 23-Sept. 13), but figure on Sabalenka not winning it unless something changes. It appears she's no longer in the frame of mind needed to hoist trophies and needs time to recharge to rediscover it.