Gauff Responds To Sabalenka's Questionable Comments After Roland Garros
NewsMonday, 09 June 2025 at 22:59
Coco Gauff showed why she is an excellent ambassador for tennis by responding maturely and classily to Aryna Sabalenka's controversial comments about her and Iga Swiatek after the final at Roland Garros.
Gauff won her first title in Paris by recovering from losing the first set against Sabalenka to triumph 6-7, 6-2, 6-4. That comeback after losing a very tight opening set was a testament to the American's well-known resilience.
The 21-year-old also handled the windy conditions better during the final and showed her tennis IQ by digging in and not always trying to fight fire with fire against Sabalenka, who can blow anyone off the court with her power.
However, Sabalenka did not give Gauff credit in her post-match press conference. The world No. 1 claimed the final result was only due to unforced errors she made, without mentioning that Gauff's defense caused many of those errors.
Sabalenka also said Iga Swiatek would have defeated Gauff if she had beaten the Belarusian in their semifinal. Although she is entitled to her opinion, it seemed like an unnecessary thing to say after one of the greatest moments of her opponent's career.
Gauff was asked about Sabalenka's comments in her press conference. She does not think the three-time Grand Slam champion's remarks were fair and pointed out that she comprehensively beat Swiatek on clay a few weeks ago at the 2025 Madrid Open.
"I don’t agree with that. I mean, I’m sitting here. No shade to Iga or anything, but I played her and I won in straight sets. I don’t think that’s a fair thing to say. Anything can really happen."
The 2024 WTA Finals winner then said Sabalenka was the most challenging matchup she could have gotten in the final due to her being No. 1 and how well she played in the previous rounds. However, Gauff always believed victory was possible.
"Honestly, the way Aryna was playing the last few weeks, she was the favorite to win. I think she was the best person I could’ve played in the final. Her being #1 in the world, she was the best person to play. I think I got the hardest matchup just if you go off stats alone."
"Obviously, Iga being a champion here, it was gonna be a tough match either way. But yeah, regardless of who I played, I think I had a good shot to win, and I definitely had that belief."
Interestingly, Gauff said she would have chosen to play Swiatek in the final if she had a choice. The Pole defeated this year's champion in the three previous iterations of Roland Garros, including the 2022 final.
"If you ask me honestly who I wanted to play, it was Iga. Just because I felt Aryna was playing so good. Obviously, Iga is a tough opponent too. Honestly, neither of them would’ve been the better shot. But it played out how it played out and that’s why I’m here today."
The critical difference between Gauff and Sabalenka's comments is that the American qualified her statement about preferring to play Swiatek by saying that either would have been challenging opponents. Sabalenka's comments were delivered more disrespectfully.
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