'I was like ‘You don’t want to say sorry?’': Aryna Sabalenka fumes over Amanda Anisimova’s mid-point celebration

Aryna Sabalenka expressed her annoyance over a celebration by Amanda Anisimova before a point was finished during the second set of their Wimbledon semifinal. The World No. 1 saw her tournament run end this Thursday after falling in three sets (6-4, 4-6, 6-4), a result that sent the American to her first Grand Slam final.

The three-time Grand Slam champion had dropped the first set and was managing to keep pace with an Anisimova who wasn't letting up on intensity in the second. Anisimova was up 3-2, and Sabalenka was serving to stay in contention, facing difficult moments at 30-30 while struggling to land her first serve.

During one exchange, Anisimova hit a winner down the line. The American reportedly shouted in celebration while Sabalenka was still attempting to reach the ball, creating a tense moment that the Belarusian did not appreciate. Sabalenka made a gesture to the umpire for a supposed hindrance, but nothing changed.

"I was just trying to chase the ball," Sabalenka commented regarding the controversial point. "She was already celebrating it. I was like 'I mean, that’s a bit too early.' She kind of pi--ed me off like saying 'That’s what she does all the time.' But I was grateful and thankful that she said that because I was like, it actually helped me to keep fighting."

Sabalenka seemed to draw inspiration from the moment and ended up holding her serve with good serves. In the next game, she secured the much-needed break—the only one of the set—which ultimately proved crucial for Sabalenka to regain momentum in the match.

"I was like ok, now I’m gonna show you the tennis. I came back because I got really angry in that moment. Probably in the 3rd set I should’ve remembered and probably it would’ve helped. But it is what it is."

"I just look at her and, I mean, for sure, she didn't hear me,” Sabalenka added. “I was like, ‘You don't want to say sorry?’.

“She just wanted, I guess, badly to win this match. It's on her. If she doesn't feel like saying sorry, she barely got that point and she didn't feel like saying sorry for that tricky situation, that's on her.”

The World No. 1 once again finishes a strong Grand Slam campaign empty-handed. She had lost in the finals of the Australian Open and Roland Garros, and this time she exits in the semifinals. Her next opportunity at a major will be at the upcoming US Open, where she is the defending champion, which begins in late August.