As the 2025 French Open approaches, kicking off on May 25 at Roland Garros, world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka is gearing up with a renewed focus, determined to avoid a repeat of the health setback that derailed her 2024 campaign. The Belarusian tennis star, fresh off a stellar season that saw her clinch the 2024 Australian Open and US Open titles, faced a shocking quarter-final exit last year against Russian teenager Mirra Andreeva. The culprit? A bout of food poisoning triggered by an undercooked steak consumed the day before her match. Sabalenka’s ordeal, which left her visibly struggling on Court Philippe Chatrier, has prompted her to overhaul her pre-match dining habits, ensuring she’s in peak condition to chase her first French Open crown.
Sabalenka’s 2024 French Open journey started with promise. The 26-year-old powered through her first four matches without dropping a set, dispatching opponents like Erika Andreeva, Moyuka Uchijima, Paula Badosa, and Emma Navarro with her trademark aggressive baseline play and powerful serve. As a heavy favorite against the 17-year-old Andreeva, Sabalenka was poised to continue her 11-match Grand Slam winning streak. However, her physical condition deteriorated during the match, marked by multiple medical timeouts and visible discomfort. “I had a difficult time out there physically today,” Sabalenka later revealed. “I have been very sick the last few days with some kind of stomach bug, so it’s been a challenge.” The illness, later traced to undercooked meat, forced her to skip the post-match press conference, with the French Open citing medical reasons for her absence.
Reflecting on the incident during a recent press conference at the 2025 Australian Open, Sabalenka shared the lesson learned from her Roland Garros mishap. “Like a day before, I had pretty rare meat. You know, I usually go for medium well, and I ask for medium well, but I think it wasn’t cooked enough,” she explained. “My stomach didn’t like that. And yeah, I felt really bad after on the next day, so now I’m making sure that the meat is cooked well.” This experience has made her meticulous about her diet, especially during tournaments. Sabalenka now sticks to a simple pre-match meal plan: porridge and an egg white omelette for breakfast, a protein bar and coffee as a snack, or chicken with rice and salad for lunch. “I stay pretty simple,” she said, emphasizing her commitment to avoiding culinary risks that could jeopardize her performance.
The 2024 defeat to Andreeva, a 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-4 battle that lasted over two hours, was a bitter pill for Sabalenka. Despite her illness, she fought valiantly, winning the first set in a tiebreak and pushing the match to a decider. Andreeva, showcasing remarkable composure for her age, capitalized on Sabalenka’s struggles, sealing the upset with a stunning lob on her second match point. The loss not only halted Sabalenka’s quest to become the first woman since Serena Williams in 2015 to win both the Australian Open and French Open in the same year but also saw her drop to No. 3 in the WTA rankings, with Coco Gauff overtaking her at No. 2.
Sabalenka’s resilience, however, remains unshaken. Her 2024 season was a testament to her dominance, with titles in Melbourne and New York, plus a third Madrid Open crown, reinforcing her clay-court credentials. Her rivalry with Iga Swiatek, the four-time French Open champion, adds intrigue to her 2025 Roland Garros campaign. Despite losing to Swiatek in the 2024 Madrid and Rome finals, Sabalenka’s victory over the Pole in the 2024 Cincinnati Open semi-finals showcased her ability to challenge the clay-court queen. “I think she is now pretty firm favourite for Roland Garros,” noted a pundit after her Madrid triumph, highlighting her growing prowess on the surface.
As Sabalenka prepares for Paris, her focus extends beyond avoiding undercooked steak. Her powerful serve, which delivered 401 aces in 2023, and aggressive groundstrokes make her a formidable contender, though her occasional inconsistency—evidenced by 166 double faults in 2020—remains a challenge. With a favorable draw, she could face tough opponents like Swiatek or Gauff, but her mental fortitude and physical preparation suggest she’s ready to go deep. Sabalenka’s journey at the 2025 French Open is not just about redemption but about cementing her legacy as a multi-surface Grand Slam champion, with a careful eye on her pre-match meals to ensure no culinary missteps derail her dreams.
As the 2025 French Open approaches, kicking off on May 25 at Roland Garros, world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka is gearing up with a renewed focus, determined to avoid a repeat of the health setback that derailed her 2024 campaign. The Belarusian tennis star, fresh off a stellar season that saw her clinch the 2024 Australian Open and US Open titles, faced a shocking quarter-final exit last year against Russian teenager Mirra Andreeva. The culprit? A bout of food poisoning triggered by an undercooked steak consumed the day before her match. Sabalenka’s ordeal, which left her visibly struggling on Court Philippe Chatrier, has prompted her to overhaul her pre-match dining habits, ensuring she’s in peak condition to chase her first French Open crown.
Sabalenka’s 2024 French Open journey started with promise. The 26-year-old powered through her first four matches without dropping a set, dispatching opponents like Erika Andreeva, Moyuka Uchijima, Paula Badosa, and Emma Navarro with her trademark aggressive baseline play and powerful serve. As a heavy favorite against the 17-year-old Andreeva, Sabalenka was poised to continue her 11-match Grand Slam winning streak. However, her physical condition deteriorated during the match, marked by multiple medical timeouts and visible discomfort. “I had a difficult time out there physically today,” Sabalenka later revealed. “I have been very sick the last few days with some kind of stomach bug, so it’s been a challenge.” The illness, later traced to undercooked meat, forced her to skip the post-match press conference, with the French Open citing medical reasons for her absence.
Reflecting on the incident during a recent press conference at the 2025 Australian Open, Sabalenka shared the lesson learned from her Roland Garros mishap. “Like a day before, I had pretty rare meat. You know, I usually go for medium well, and I ask for medium well, but I think it wasn’t cooked enough,” she explained. “My stomach didn’t like that. And yeah, I felt really bad after on the next day, so now I’m making sure that the meat is cooked well.” This experience has made her meticulous about her diet, especially during tournaments. Sabalenka now sticks to a simple pre-match meal plan: porridge and an egg white omelette for breakfast, a protein bar and coffee as a snack, or chicken with rice and salad for lunch. “I stay pretty simple,” she said, emphasizing her commitment to avoiding culinary risks that could jeopardize her performance.
The 2024 defeat to Andreeva, a 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-4 battle that lasted over two hours, was a bitter pill for Sabalenka. Despite her illness, she fought valiantly, winning the first set in a tiebreak and pushing the match to a decider. Andreeva, showcasing remarkable composure for her age, capitalized on Sabalenka’s struggles, sealing the upset with a stunning lob on her second match point. The loss not only halted Sabalenka’s quest to become the first woman since Serena Williams in 2015 to win both the Australian Open and French Open in the same year but also saw her drop to No. 3 in the WTA rankings, with Coco Gauff overtaking her at No. 2.
Sabalenka’s resilience, however, remains unshaken. Her 2024 season was a testament to her dominance, with titles in Melbourne and New York, plus a third Madrid Open crown, reinforcing her clay-court credentials. Her rivalry with Iga Swiatek, the four-time French Open champion, adds intrigue to her 2025 Roland Garros campaign. Despite losing to Swiatek in the 2024 Madrid and Rome finals, Sabalenka’s victory over the Pole in the 2024 Cincinnati Open semi-finals showcased her ability to challenge the clay-court queen. “I think she is now pretty firm favourite for Roland Garros,” noted a pundit after her Madrid triumph, highlighting her growing prowess on the surface.
As Sabalenka prepares for Paris, her focus extends beyond avoiding undercooked steak. Her powerful serve, which delivered 401 aces in 2023, and aggressive groundstrokes make her a formidable contender, though her occasional inconsistency—evidenced by 166 double faults in 2020—remains a challenge. With a favorable draw, she could face tough opponents like Swiatek or Gauff, but her mental fortitude and physical preparation suggest she’s ready to go deep. Sabalenka’s journey at the 2025 French Open is not just about redemption but about cementing her legacy as a multi-surface Grand Slam champion, with a careful eye on her pre-match meals to ensure no culinary missteps derail her dreams.
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