Gauff Does Not Care About Sabalenka's Harsh Words After Roland Garros Final Says Keys
NewsMonday, 16 June 2025 at 18:39
Madison Keys gave a blunt answer when asked about Aryna Sabalenka's controversial comments after her 2025 Roland Garros final defeat to Coco Gauff.
The WTA world No. 1 was just a set away from securing a maiden title in Paris, but Gauff stormed back to win 6-7, 6-2, 6-4. She also beat Sabalenka after losing the first set of their 2023 US Open final.
Sabalenka was accused of not showing class when she claimed the result was down to her bad play rather than the quality of Gauff's tennis and that Iga Swiatek would have overcome the American in that match.
Gauff was characteristically classy and mature when asked about Sabalenka's words. Although she did not think the comments were fair, she wanted to give the Belarusian the benefit of the doubt after a tough loss.
In a press conference at last week's WTA Queen's Club Championships, Keys admitted she would not care if an opponent reacted like that after a match, and doubts that Gauff is bothered about it.
"To be honest, I don’t think I would really care, especially if I had won, no matter what they say or think. It’s tough. It’s a complicated, emotional moment, and I think sometimes emotions bring everything out of people. Things are said in a way and not necessarily meant seriously."
"Other times, you feel very disappointed with yourself because you haven’t played at the level you expected. I think sometimes it’s hard to overcome those moments, especially if you have a microphone in front of you. Sometimes we say things we later regret. Again, I don’t think Coco would care."
Sabalenka also faced criticism for her behavior in the immediate aftermath of her 2025 Australian Open final loss to Madison Keys. The 30-year-old won a thrilling battle in Melbourne to secure her maiden Grand Slam title.
Immediately after the point that confirmed the title for Keys, Sabalenka screamed at her team. Some felt that distracted from Keys' moment, who had suffered several heartbreaking near-misses before becoming a major champion.
The 2023 and 2024 Australian Open champion did not stop there. After composing herself enough to shake hands amicably with Keys, she smashed her racket at the side of the court and then left the court to calm down before the trophy celebration.
Sabalenka has admitted to being very bad at taking losses early in her career but feels she deals with them better now than in the past. Her two Grand Slam final defeats so far in 2025 were too much for the world No. 1 to manage calmly.
Like Keys said, speaking into a microphone so soon after losing a significant final is not easy. It might be better if players, especially those defeated, are given additional time to cool down and gather their thoughts to avoid saying something they regret.
Sabalenka will be even more desperate to win a first Wimbledon title after two devastating Grand Slam final defeats. Grass has not been Gauff's surface, but she must be feeling confident after showing a better mentality than Sabalenka at Roland Garros.
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