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Jim Courier argues Aryna Sabalenka lied after her second round Wimbledon win in 2025

Originally posted on HITC | By Matthew Johns | Last updated Jul 3, 2025 10:52 AM ET

Aryna Sabalenka has kept her Wimbledon run going with a straight-sets win over Marie Bouzkova.

Sabalenka passed the third round for the first time in three years after back-to-back wins over Carson Branstine and Bouzkova.

But despite the draw opening up, the world number one claimed in her on-court interview that she was sad to see so many big names drop out early.

“Honestly, it’s very sad to see so many top players lose in the first round, but you better focus on yourself and stay away from the results.

“Of course, you’re going to know the overall picture, but it’s better just to take it one step at a time. I hope there are no more upsets in this tournament – if you know what I mean! I’m really happy to be through this difficult round.”

However, some people didn’t believe her alleged sadness over the fall of several rivals. One of them was Jim Courier, who suggested that the Belarusian player wasn’t being honest in her statement.

Jim Courier says Sabalenka wasn’t honest about her Wimbledon rivals’ fall

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Speaking on Tennis Channel Live, the four-time Grand Slam winner disagreed with Sabalenka’s comments about missing her main title threats.

“Depends on how she takes it, right?” Courier said. “If she’s smart, she just stays in her bubble and follows all the old tropes and cliches that do work. ‘Who’s my next opponent? What am I doing? How do I focus on my next shot?’

“Keep it simple, don’t be overwhelmed by the things that are out of your control. I do love the way she lied right to everyone there. ‘Oh, I’m so sad everybody lost.’

“You don’t want to see the best players on the other side of the net if you can help it. ‘We want to beat the best’, no we want to win. No, my favourite opponent was always that I was going to beat, that’s it. Not the person that was going to challenge me.”

Sabalenka seems to have an easier path now, but will face one of the crowd’s favourites

With four of the top five seeds already out, Sabalenka’s potential route through the draw looks far less daunting than it did a week ago. But Amanda Anisimova, Madison Keys and Elina Svitolina are all still lurking in her quarter – along with her next opponent.

Sabalenka will next face Emma Raducanu in the third round, looking to repeat her 2024 Indian Wells win over the Brit.

This article first appeared on HITC and was syndicated with permission.

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