Aryna Sabalenka revealed that she had privately apologized to Coco Gauff over her controversial comments made in the wake of her French Open final defeat earlier this month.
Sabalenka and Gauff contested the women’s final at Roland Garros in a top-two showdown. The Belarusian was the red-hot favorite for the crown after getting the better of the American on the Madrid clay last month. But Gauff had the mental edge over Sabalenka. She had beaten her in their lone Grand Slam final meeting before this year at the 2023 US Open – the year she won her first Major title.
Sabalenka issues apology to Gauff over “unprofessional” remarks
Sabalenka raced to take a 4-0 lead in the final with a double break before stumbling and then picking herself up to win the first set in a tie-break. But she committed an unimpressive high of 70 unforced errors due to Gauff’s relentless defending and superior court coverage. The World No. 1 lost the next two sets and surrendered that early dominance. Gauff turned it around to win 6-7 6-2 6-4 and land her second Grand Slam singles win.
During the trophy ceremony, Sabalenka referred to their contest as a “terrible final” because of her error-strewn performance. And speaking in the press conference after the match, Sabalenka was brutally honest, insisting that her shortcomings had gifted Gauff the title, leaving many fans bewildered. Gauff was quick to let the moment pass and appeared to have given her rival the benefit of the doubt, partly because emotions were running high after such a high-stakes match.
Sabalenka has since backtracked from her initial take on the match, issuing a public apology on Instagram over that misjudgment. Speaking to Eurosport Germany, Sabalenka confessed to having regrets over her post-match stance and confirmed that she has personally apologized to Gauff for her unprofessional remarks.
“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.”
She added, “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 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?”
Main Photo Credit: Susan Mullane – USA TODAY Sports
