Aryna Sabalenka has reached out to Coco Gauff to express her regret over the “unprofessional” comments she made following her defeat to Gauff in the French Open final.
In an interview with Eurosport Germany, Sabalenka admitted that her statements after the match were misguided. During the post-match press conference in Paris, she implied that her loss was primarily due to her own mistakes rather than Gauff’s performance. “I think she won the match not because she played incredible,” she stated at the time. “Just because I made all of those mistakes, if you look from the outside, from kind of easy balls.”
Reflecting on her earlier remarks, Sabalenka said, “That was just completely unprofessional of me. I let my emotions get the better of me. I absolutely regret what I said back then. You know, we all make mistakes. I’m just a human being who’s still learning in life. I think we all have those days when we lose control. But what I also want to say is that I wrote to Coco afterward – not immediately, but recently.”
Despite hitting 37 winners during the match, Sabalenka accumulated 70 unforced errors, while Gauff recorded 30 winners and 30 unforced errors. The world No. 1 emphasized that her intention in writing to Gauff was to convey her respect for the young champion, stating, “I wanted to make sure she knew she absolutely deserved to win the tournament and that I respect her.”
“I never intended to attack her,” Sabalenka added. “I was super-emotional and not very smart at that press conference. I’m not necessarily grateful for what I did. It took me a while to go back and think about it, to approach it with open eyes, and to understand. I realized a lot about myself. Why did I lose so many finals?”
Sabalenka, who has clinched three major titles, faced Gauff again in the 2023 US Open final, losing after winning the first set as well. “I kept getting so emotional,” she reflected. “So I learned a lot. Above all, one thing: I’m the one who always treats my opponents with great respect, whether I win or lose. Without that respect, I wouldn’t be where I am today. So it was a tough but very valuable lesson for me.”