World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka has publicly apologized to Coco Gauff for what she described as “completely unprofessional” comments following her loss to the 21-year-old in the final of the 2025 French Open. In an interview with Eurosport Germany, Sabalenka expressed regret over her remarks, saying, “It was just completely unprofessional of me. I let my emotions get the better of me. I absolutely regret what I said back then.”
She reflected on the pressures of competition, stating, “I think we all have those days when we lose control. The difference with me is: the world is watching. I get a lot more hate for what I did afterwards than other people. But what I also want to say is that I wrote to Coco afterwards — not immediately, but recently.”
Sabalenka emphasized her respect for Gauff, asserting her intention was never to attack her. “I wanted to apologize and make sure she knew she absolutely deserved to win the tournament and that I respect her. I was super emotional and not very smart at that press conference,” she added.
In the wake of her June 7 defeat, Sabalenka had initially attributed her loss to court conditions and her own mistakes rather than Gauff’s performance, stating, “In the final, it was really, honestly, the worst tennis I’ve played in the last I don’t know how many months. And the conditions were terrible, and she simply was better in these conditions than me, and I think it was the worst final I ever played.”
She acknowledged her emotional state during the match, admitting, “I think I was overemotional. I think, 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 incredible, just because I made all of those mistakes. Like, if you look from the outside, kind of from easy balls.”
After the match, Sabalenka sought to clarify her comments through a statement on her Instagram story, where she credited Gauff for her performance. “I made over 70 unforced errors, so I can’t pretend it was a great day for me,” she wrote. “But both things can be true… I didn’t play my best, and Coco stepped up and played with poise and purpose.”
In a response to the situation, Gauff told Good Morning America that she was willing to put Sabalenka’s remarks into context: “I know she was probably a bit emotional after that match, and it was a tough loss. I was a little bit surprised about the comments and everything but I’m gonna give her the benefit of the doubt. I’m sure it was an emotional day, emotional match.”
During the final at Roland Garros, Sabalenka initially took a commanding 4-1 lead in the first set. However, Gauff fought back to equalize, ultimately securing a 6-7 (5), 6-2, 6-4 victory over the world No. 1, who struggled with unforced errors in the latter part of the match.