Sabalenka finds unexpected supporter from Team USA after Gauff controversy

Tuesday, 07 October 2025 at 19:20

Aryna Sabalenka at the 2025 Australian Open

byErik Virostko

Aryna Sabalenka found an unexpected ally after her controversial comments about Coco Gauff, made after this year's Roland Garros final.

Sabalenka landed herself in hot water after this year's Roland Garros. Not only did she fail to win her maiden major outside of the hard courts, but she also angered millions of tennis fans around the world.

Following her loss to Coco Gauff, who bested the Belarusian 6-7(5), 6-2, 6-4, Sabalenka stated that the American player didn't win because she "played incredible" but instead because of Sabalenka's bad performance.

Those comments obviously angered all Gauff's fans. However, the 21-year-old didn't want to fuel the hate towards her rival, as the two buried the hatchet ahead of Wimbledon, recording a TikTok dance together.

Since then, most tennis fans have come to understand Sabalenka's position. She was frustrated after losing a Grand Slam final and said something she didn't mean to say, especially since English is not her native language.

Danielle Collins, who had previously had fallouts with fans or other players, also spoke about the topic. She talked about it on The Gay Tennis Podcast, explaining how challenging it is to face the media only minutes after losing such a match.

"Aryna is the number one player in the world and she has a big target on her back. There's a lot of pressure when you're the number one player in the world to consistently perform, expectations from sponsors, expectations you put on yourself and there's an enormous amount of pressure that is very difficult for people to understand."

"They played a three-and-a-half-hour match. They battled. That match was one of the best final matches that we've probably ever seen on tour, and it didn't go her way and I honestly think at the end of the day that Aryna was friggin' tired and she just needed a nap."

It's clear why Collins can easily understand Sabalenka's position. As one of the top players on the WTA Tour, she has often found herself in a similar position. At the same time, she is also someone not afraid to say something controversial.

Sabalenka and Gauff can meet in Wuhan for the first time since the Roland Garros final

Sabalenka and Gauff have not met on the tennis court since their meeting in the Roland Garros final. Now, they both appear in the 2025 Wuhan Open draw. However, they are in opposite halves, so they can meet only in the final.

Sabalenka will play her first match against Rebecca Sramkova, while Gauff will start against Moyuka Uchijima. They are both huge favorites to make it at least to the quarter-finals. For Sabalenka, this is her first event since the US Open, and she is excited to return to the courts after a vacation in Greece.

"Am I confident about winning for the fourth time? I don’t know about that, but I can assure you that I will do my best, and hopefully I can claim this beautiful title again."