Aryna Sabalenka has defended her emotional outbursts on court, saying they help her reset and perform better. The world No. 1 spoke ahead of her seventh Wimbledon appearance and opening-round match on Monday.
The Belarusian top seed told The Guardian that suppressing her feelings had previously harmed her game. She said she now directs aggression toward her team to stay focused during matches.
Sabalenka has shown this approach throughout her career, including incidents at the Wuhan Open and after her French Open quarterfinal loss. Critics such as Rennae Stubbs have questioned the behavior, but she maintains it allows her to compete effectively.
She enters Wimbledon after reaching the semifinals in Berlin, where she lost to Jessica Pegula. Elena Rybakina remains within 947 ranking points of the top spot, though Rybakina needs a strong run to overtake her.
Sabalenka faces qualifier Teodora Kostovic in the first round and said her focus remains on her own performance rather than the rankings.