1 day ago
Aryna Sabalenka Explains Why Letting Emotion Go Helps
Aryna Sabalenka is a very successful tennis player who sometimes gets angry during matches.
She says holding all that anger inside can make it harder to play well.
Instead, she lets the feeling out briefly.
Then she tries to begin the next point as if the mistake is finished.
She says the outburst may look unpleasant, but it helps her clear her mind.
The important part is not yelling or smashing things.
The important part is returning to the next task.
She also says people should make sure their way of releasing emotion does not hurt anyone else.
Aryna Sabalenka says emotional outbursts help her reset during matches rather than carrying frustration into the next point.
In a May 2026 American Vogue interview, she acknowledged that releasing emotion can look “ugly and terrible.”
Sabalenka is returning to New York seeking a third consecutive US Open title after a difficult French Open collapse.
She says the useful part of an outburst is the restart that follows, not the anger itself.
Sabalenka connects her approach to grief, including the deaths of her father Sergey and former partner Konstantin Koltsov.
- Who
- Aryna Sabalenka, the world’s top-ranked tennis player, is discussing her approach to anger and emotional release.
- What
- She says briefly letting out emotion helps her reset and focus on the next point.
- Where
- The discussion concerns Sabalenka’s tennis matches, with her current focus on the US Open in New York.
- When
- The comments appeared in a May 2026 American Vogue interview; she is now returning to New York for the US Open.
- Why
- She believes releasing intense feelings prevents them from affecting the rest of her match and helps her keep her head in it.
Expressive Reset
Traditional Composure
Handling anger on court
Expressive Reset
Sabalenka says an emotional burst can empty the feeling and help her begin the next point with a clear head.
Traditional Composure
The article notes a continuing debate over her on-court fire and the version of composure that tennis traditionally presents as professionalism.
What makes the approach useful
Expressive Reset
The value is the restart after the outburst, allowing a player to stop carrying frustration into the next game.
Traditional Composure
Releasing emotion is not automatically constructive; the article cautions that it should not harm or target other people.
Key facts
- Interview source
- May 2026 American Vogue digital cover story
- Current objective
- Sabalenka is seeking a third consecutive US Open title
- Grand Slam titles
- Australian Open titles in 2023 and 2024; US Open titles in 2024 and 2025
- Birth
- 5 May 1998, Minsk
- Father
- Sergey, a former ice-hockey player, died of meningitis in November 2019 at age 43
- Former partner
- Hockey player Konstantin Koltsov died during the Miami swing in March 2024
- Core method
- Release the emotion briefly, then restart with the next concrete action
Quotes
Aryna Sabalenka
World No. 1 professional tennis player
“Sometimes you just need to let it go, to empty it so you’re ready to start over and play the match. Yeah, sometimes it looks ugly and terrible, but I need it in order to keep my head in it.”
livemint.com
