'I Was Completely Wrong': Sabalenka Revisits Gauff Controversy Ahead Of US Swing

Monday, 11 August 2025 at 16:02

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byErik Virostko

Aryna Sabalenka spoke about the controversial moment when she spoke about Coco Gauff after the Roland Garros final earlier this year.

Tennis players and athletes in general have to deal with situations that most people are not used to. Shortly after competing, regardless of whether they win or lose, they are grilled about their feelings by a room full of people eager to write an article.

That's not an easy task, even though it might seem like it to some. Imagine failing an important task at your job, losing a big client, or being fired, and then having to talk to a group of people asking you about the situation and your emotions. It would probably be challenging to hide the true feelings.

That's what happened to Sabalenka after the French Open final. According to many tennis fans, she didn't show a lot of respect when speaking about Gauff in Paris.

Shortly after, the Belarusian apologized for her words, and Gauff graciously accepted the apology, as the two recorded a TikTok video together, showing their fans that they were friends despite the incident.

Despite that, many fans wanted "revenge" on Sabalenka's return to the United States. Some fans promised to boo the WTA World No. 1 player in Cincinnati and at the US Open, but that now seems to be long forgotten.

In Cincinnati, Sabalenka spoke about the incident. She explained that most fans struggle to understand the difficulty of commenting on a tennis match immediately after losing it, especially in a Grand Slam final.

"Some people don’t really understand the intensity of everything, that when you lose the final of one of the biggest tournaments and you go to media straightaway, you’re so frustrated, so pissed at yourself, you’re trying to figure out what just happened. You don’t think clearly, and you make a comment and people forget completely about who you are the rest of the time."

Sabalenka admitted that she had to take some time to reflect on the incident. After doing so, she realized that her comments weren't appropriate, which is why she apologized to Gauff.

"I had to sit back and reflect on everything and apologize and make sure people understand my point that I was just overemotional. I was completely wrong. It took a little while to explain myself a little better. But now I think people understand me even better. It was a tough lesson, but it helped me in many ways."

Sabalenka on a mission to defend Cincinnati - US Open double

Last year, Sabalenka managed to win the titles both in Cincinnati and at the New York Slam. This year, she faces a difficult task of defending both, which is one of the reasons why she withdrew from the Canadian Open in Montreal to better prepare for the events in the United States.

As if defending her titles at these events wasn't hard enough, the Belarusian has to face a brutal draw in Cincinnati. In her first match, she beat fellow Grand Slam champion Marketa Vondrousova, and in the third round, she will have to face another major winner, Emma Raducanu.