Newly crowned French Open champion Coco Gauff said she was surprised by comments opponent Aryna Sabalenka made after the women’s final, citing her poor performance for the American’s victory.
Sabalenka, who lost to Gauff in the finals of the 2023 U.S. Open, was emotional after her loss at Roland Garros Saturday, calling her performance the “worst tennis” she’s played in months.
But Sabalenka failed to give credit to Gauff, saying the win was a result of her poor play.
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“I think I was overemotional,” Sabalenka said after the match. “I didn’t really handle myself quite well mentally, I would say. So, basically, that’s it. I was just making unforced errors. I think she won the match not because she played incredible, just because I made all of those mistakes from, like, if you look from the outside, kind of like from easy balls.”
Reacting to those comments during an appearance on “Good Morning America,” Gauff explained that both players had to battle tough conditions during the final. She said she was “surprised” by Sabalenka’s remarks, but she knew the match was emotional for her opponent.
“Obviously, I know she was probably a bit emotional after that match, and it was a tough loss. But, honestly, when I stepped on the court, I was aware of the wind. We both practiced with the roof closed. … But when I found out it was open and saw how windy it was on the court, I knew it was going to be an ugly win.
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“I was a little bit surprised about the comments and everything, but I’m gonna give her the benefit of the doubt. I’m sure it was an emotional day, emotional match.”
Sabalenka released a statement in response to criticism about her comments.
“Yesterday was a tough one. Coco handled the conditions much better than I did and she fully deserved the win,” her post on social media said. “She was the better player yesterday, and I want to give her the credit she earned.”
Gauff suggested there was no bad blood between the two, calling Sabalenka a “fighter” and “tough opponent.”
Coco is 6-5 against Sabalenka. Two of those wins have been Grand Slam titles.
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