Aryna Sabalenka jokes about avoiding a post-loss news conference at Wimbledon like the one in Paris

LONDON (AP) — As if there were any doubt whether Aryna Sabalenka's loss in the Wimbledon semifinals on Thursday brought to mind her loss in the French Open final — and its aftermath — a month ago, she made it quite clear right away.

“Are you guys waiting for something? You’re not going to see a ‘Roland-Garros press conference,’” the No. 1-ranked Sabalenka said when she arrived for her question-and-answer session with reporters after being eliminated by Amanda Anisimova 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 at Centre Court, “so anyone who was waiting for that, you can leave right now.”

It was delivered as a punch line, knowing full well that the three-time Grand Slam champion was widely criticized for her words following a three-set loss to Coco Gauff with the trophy at stake in Paris.

There was plenty of online venom directed Sabalenka's way.

So much so, that Sabalenka first wrote a private apology to Gauff, then offered a public mea culpa, before the two patched things up by posting TikTok and Instagram videos together right before the start of competition at the All England Club.

“I just don’t want to face that hate again,” Sabalenka said Thursday. “We're all people. We all can lose control over our emotions. It’s absolutely normal. Every time when I was really that close in that match today to completely lose it and start — I don’t know — yelling, screaming, smashing the rackets, I keep reminding myself that’s not an option.”

After praising Anisimova — an American seeded 13th who will play in her first major final on Saturday against Iga Swiatek — as “the better player,” Sabalenka spoke about the feelings she experiences following a setback.

“The first moment (is) always the worst one, because every time you compete at that tournament, and you get to the last stages, you think that you’re getting close to your dream,” said the 27-year-old from Belarus. “Then you lose the match, and you feel like, ‘OK, this is the end.’”

Sabalenka was hoping to become the first woman in a decade to reach four major finals in a row after winning the U.S. Open last year, then finishing as the runner-up at the Australian Open and French Open in 2025.

She also was trying to get to her first title match at Wimbledon.

So used to overpowering opponents, Sabalenka ran into someone who hits as big a ball as she does.

“She was more brave today,” Sabalenka said. “Maybe when I was just trying to stay in the point, she was going for all. She was playing more aggressive.”

There were other things about Anisimova that Sabalenka acknowledged were irritating.

During one exchange, for example, Anisimova let out a shout before a point was over, and Sabalenka thought it was a premature celebration.

“I was, like, I mean, ‘That’s a bit too early.’ Then she kind of (angered me), saying that, oh, that’s what she does all the time," Sabalenka said. “I was grateful that she actually said that," because it helped bring out more fight.

Asked about that moment, Anisimova said: “I wasn’t celebrating. It was just a long grunt, I guess. I don’t really know what was the deal there, to be honest, because I didn’t feel like it was that interfering. But I tried to not do it again.”

During another point, Anisimova benefited from the ball trickling over the tape of the net and, instead of the usual “Sorry, not sorry” gesture players often use by raising a hand when that happens, seemed to be celebrating.

“I was like, ‘You don’t want to say sorry?’ She just wanted, I guess, badly to win this match,” Sabalenka said. “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.”

As for what comes next for Sabalenka?

“I never give up,” she said, “and I’m going to come back stronger, for sure.”

AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis

Amanda Anisimova of the U.S. celebrates winning the women's singles semifinal match against Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Thursday, July 10, 2025.(AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus leaves the court after losing to Amanda Anisimova of the U.S. during a women's singles semifinal match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Thursday, July 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus reacts after playing a return to Amanda Anisimova of the U.S. during a women's singles semifinal match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Thursday, July 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Joanna Chan)

Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus reacts as she plays Amanda Anisimova of the U.S. during a women's singles semifinal match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Thursday, July 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Glenn Hall, a Hockey Hall of Famer whose ironman streak of 502 starts as a goaltender remains an NHL record, has died. He was 94.

Nicknamed “Mr. Goalie,” Hall worked to stop pucks at a time when players at his position were bare-faced, before masks of any kind became commonplace. He did it as well as just about anyone of his generation, which stretched from the days of the Original Six into the expansion era.

A spokesperson for the Chicago Blackhawks confirmed the team received word of Hall’s death from his family. A league historian in touch with Hall’s son, Pat, said Hall died at a hospital in Stony Plain, Alberta, on Wednesday.

A pioneer of the butterfly style of goaltending of dropping to his knees, Hall backstopped Chicago to the Stanley Cup in 1961. He won the Conn Smythe Trophy as most valuable player of the playoffs in 1968 with St. Louis when the Blues reached the final before losing to Montreal. He was the second of just six Conn Smythe winners from a team that did not hoist the Cup.

His run of more than 500 games in net is one of the most untouchable records in sports, given how the position has changed in the decades since. Second in history is Alec Connell with 257 from 1924-30.

“Glenn was sturdy, dependable and a spectacular talent in net,” Commissioner Gary Bettman said. “That record, set from 1955-56 to 1962-63, still stands, probably always will, and is almost unfathomable — especially when you consider he did it all without a mask.”

Counting the postseason, Hall started 552 games in a row.

Hall won the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year in 1956 when playing for the Detroit Red Wings. After two seasons, he was sent to the Black Hawks along with legendary forward Ted Lindsay.

Hall earned two of his three Vezina Trophy honors as the league's top goalie with Chicago, in 1963 and '67. The Blues took him in the expansion draft when the NHL doubled from six teams to 12, and he helped them reach the final in each of their first three years of existence, while winning the Vezina again at age 37.

Hall was in net when Boston's Bobby Orr scored in overtime to win the Cup for the Bruins in 1970, a goal that's among the most famous in hockey history because of the flying through the air celebration that followed. He played one more season with St. Louis before retiring in 1971.

“His influence extended far beyond the crease," Blues chairman Tom Stillman said. “From the very beginning, he brought credibility, excellence, and heart to a new team and a new NHL market.”

A native of Humboldt, Saskatchewan, Hall was a seven-time first-team NHL All-Star who had 407 wins and 84 shutouts in 906 regular-season games. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1975, and his No. 1 was retired by Chicago in 1988.

Hall was chosen as one of the top 100 players in the league's first 100 years.

Blackhawks chairman and CEO Danny Wirtz called Hall an innovator and “one of the greatest and most influential goaltenders in the history of our sport and a cornerstone of our franchise.”

“We are grateful for his extraordinary contributions to hockey and to our club, and we will honor his memory today and always,” Wirtz said.

The Blackhawks paid tribute to Hall and former coach and general manager Bob Pulford with a moment of silence before Wednesday night’s game against St. Louis. Pulford died Monday.

A Hall highlight video was shown on the center-ice videoboard. The lights were turned off for the moment of silence, except for a spotlight on the No. 1 banner for Hall that hangs in the rafters at the United Center.

Fellow Hall of Famer Martin Brodeur, the league's leader in wins with 691 and games played with 1,266, posted a photo of the last time he saw Hall along with a remembrance of him.

“Glenn Hall was a legend, and I was a big fan of his,” Brodeur said on social media. “He set the standard for every goaltender who followed. His toughness and consistency defined what it meant to play.”

AP Sports Writer Jay Cohen in Chicago contributed to this report.

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

FILE - Glenn Hall, second from left, stands with fellow former Chicago Blackhawks players Stan Mikita, former general manager Tommy Ivan, Bobby Hull, Bill Wirtz and Tony Esposito during a pre-game ceremony at the Chicago Stadium in Chicago, Ill., April 14, 1994. (AP Photo/Fred Jewell, File)

FILE - St. Louis Blues goalie Glenn Hall, top right, is pinned to his net waiting to make a save on a Montreal Canadians shot as Blues' Noel Picard (4) tries to block the puck while Canadiens' John Ferguson (22) and Ralph Backstorm wait for a rebound in the third period of their NHL hockey Stanley Cup game, May 5, 1968. (AP Photo/Fred Waters, File)