Aryna Sabalenka, French Open 2025 runner-up has opened up about her reaction after losing to the newly-crowned champion Coco Gauff. The Belarusian star, who lost to Gauff in a thrilling three-set final (7-6, 2-6, 4-6) at Roland Garros was criticised for her post-match remarks.
In the interview after the final, Sabalenka suggested that she lost the match more due to her own mistakes than Gauff’s excellence. “It wasn’t that Coco played out of this world,” she initially said, pointing to the 70-plus unforced errors she committed during the match.
Sabalenka faced backlash
Fans took to social media to express their disappointment over what they saw as a lack of sportsmanship. Many believed Sabalenka’s comments undermined the 20-year-old American’s landmark victory.
Sabalenka’s response
In response to the criticism, Sabalenka took to Instagram and posted a heartfelt story. She acknowledged her emotional fatigue after the loss and clarified that she did not intend to take away from Gauff’s achievement.
Sabalenka clarifies her outburst
“Yesterday was a tough one. Coco handled the conditions much better than I did and fully deserved the win,” Sabalenka said.
“She was the better player yesterday, and I want to give her the credit she earned. You all know me… I’m always going to be honest and human in how I process these moments,” she added.
Talking about the match, she expressed, “I made over 70 unforced errors, so I can’t pretend it was a great day for me. But both things can be true: I didn’t play my best, and Coco stepped up and played with poise and purpose. She earned that title. Respect.”
“Time to rest, learn, and come back stronger,” Sabalenka concluded.
Sabalenka-Gauff controversy
After losing her second successive Grand Slam final this year, Sabalenka said that her coming second in the encounter was more due to her own mistakes rather than Gauff’s brilliance.
“I think it was more windy. Also, I think I was over-emotional. Today I didn’t handle myself quite well mentally. Basically, that’s it. I was just making unforced errors. I don’t know. I have to check the statistics. I think she won the match not because she played incredibly. Just because I made all of those mistakes, if you look from the outside, from kind of easy balls,” said Sabalenka in the post-match press conference.