Aryna Sabalenka revealed that she privately apologized to Coco Gauff about her much-criticized speech following her loss to Gauff in the French Open final.
Sabalenka said in an interview with Eurosport that she recently spoke to Gauff to apologize for her comments, in which she said the Roland Garros final was “terrible tennis” amid windy conditions. Many critics felt that Sabalenka had been graceless in defeat and did not give proper credit to Gauff for outplaying her on the day.
“I spoke to Coco afterward… I wanted to apologize and make sure she knew she absolutely deserved to win the tournament and that I respect her,” 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.
“I wanted to apologize and make sure she knew she absolutely deserved to win the tournament and that I respect her. I never intended to attack her. I was super emotional and not very smart at that press conference. I’m not necessarily proud for what I did.”
Aryna Sabalenka on post-match comments after loss to Coco Gauff at Roland Garros, ‘I spoke to Coco afterward… I wanted to apologize and make sure she knew she absolutely deserved to win the tournament and that I respect her’
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) June 17, 2025
“That was just completely unprofessional of me. I… pic.twitter.com/9c7ItxIucW
Sabalenka had also addressed her comments the day after making them, and struck a similar tone then.
It is no secret that Sabalenka has a history of being an emotional player, and she made her comments after a frustrating match in which she made 70 unforced errors. She did not come across well and quickly realized it, but it remains to be seen if she can avoid the controversy to begin with next time she finds herself in a similar situation.
