Aryna Sabalenka Revisits Controversial Roland Garros Moment and Lauds Coco Gauff: “She Understands Everything”

Aryna Sabalenka recalled the controversial French Open runner-up speech and the press conference during her interview with Vogue. Last year, Coco Gauff came from a set down to beat the Belarusian and won her second Grand Slam singles title.

Sabalenka was devastated. It was the second time that year that she lost a Grand Slam final because Madison Keys dashed her hat-trick goal at the Australian Open.

During her runner-up speech after the French Open final, Sabalenka said she played “terrible” tennis and continued her rant at the press conference, calling the final the worst of her career. The four-time Grand Slam singles champion, in fact, claimed that had four-time Roland Garros champion Iga Swiatek faced Gauff, she would have defeated the American ace.

And as expected, Sabalenka found herself on the receiving end of criticism as she was accused of not crediting Gauff for the win. Sabalenka apologized to Gauff, and they also did a TikTok dance together to show the tennis world that there was no bad blood between them.

When I got to Wimbledon last year, my first press conference was packed like crazy. I was like, ‘Wow, guys, are you expecting more of the French Open?’ But then we did the TikTok video. Coco is one of those girls who understands everything. She never gets upset or offended. If you say you’re sorry, she’s like, ‘Oh, girl, it’s okay. You’re good’.

Sabalenka did not let the Roland Garros defeat overwhelm her for long, as at the US Open she beat home favorite Amanda Anisimova to clinch her fourth Grand Slam singles title.

No one will understand you better than another athlete. I feel like all of us think, ‘Okay, I should win every match’. If you’re not thinking that way, then what are you doing? When you’re in the top five and you’re winning Grand Slams, it’s not okay to be okay with losing. That’s my mentality.

Aryna Sabalenka added

Before Roland Garros, Gauff lost to Sabalenka in the Madrid Open final and to home favorite Jasmine Paolini in the Italian Open final. Gauff also made the final of this year’s Rome event but failed to defeat Elina Svitolina.

Coco Gauff on her Italian Open run

Coco Gauff did not have a smooth run to the Italian Open final. In four matches, she dropped a set, including in the final versus Elina Svitolina. But she is hoping that her topsy-turvy performance prepares her for the biggest clay-court event- the Roland Garros.

There’s a lot of positives I can take from this tournament, and a lot I can learn from. This week I experienced all the ups and downs of a tournament… I’ve been down, had the lead, lost the lead, I’ve been in the final, been down match point. I think I’ve experienced every scenario that can prepare me for Roland Garros. Hopefully, I can actually learn from each scenario and do better.

Coco Gauff told reporters

The French Open will start on May 24th. Gauff will be chasing her third title on clay. This year, she has so far featured in two finals. Before the Italian Open, Gauff lost the Miami Open final to Aryna Sabalenka.

The World No.1 also played in Rome, but she suffered a shock third-round defeat to Sorana Cirstea. Sabalenka has so far played four finals, winning the Indian Wells, Miami Open, and the Brisbane International.

Elena Rybakina stopped her from winning her third Australian Open singles title. Sabalenka has so far lifted three clay-court titles: the 2021, 2023, and 2025 Madrid Open. She failed to defend the Madrid Open this year, losing in the quarterfinals to Hailey Baptiste.

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