Aryna Sabalenka Admits She Was Completely Unprofessional as She ‘Regrets’ Controversial Remarks on Coco Gauff After French Open Defeat

Aryna Sabalenka, after her defeat to Coco Gauff at Roland Garros, will lock horns with Rebeka Masarova to start her bid for her first grass-court title at the Berlin Open.

Aryna Sabalenka Admits She Was Completely Unprofessional as She ‘Regrets’ Controversial Remarks on Coco Gauff After French Open Defeat

Aryna Sabalenka, Coco Gauff (Image via Jose Moron, Coco Gauff)

Aryna Sabalenka took to Instagram to clarify the controversial comments on Coco Gauff after her defeat to the American in the 2025 French Open final. Sabalenka, ahead of the Berlin Open, once again expressed her regret for not keeping her emotions in check.

The Belarusian, following her defeat, said she played terrible tennis in the final and had five-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek played Gauff in the final instead of her, she would have defeated the 2023 US Open winner. Gauff called Sabalenka’s comments unfair and later, several notable people from the tennis world criticized the World No.1 for not crediting the 21-year-old for her win.

Sabalenka, in Berlin, said she felt she was “super emotional and not smart” at the Roland Garros press conference. She also revisited the match, realizing that she lost many finals because of her inability to control her emotions.

That was just completely unprofessional of me. I let my emotions get the better of me. I absolutely regret what I said back then. You know, we all make mistakes. I’m just a human being who’s still learning in life. I think we all have those days when we lose control. The difference with me is, the world is watching. I get a lot more hate for what I did than other people.

Aryna Sabalenka told TNT Sports

Gauff took a 6-5 lead in the head-to-head encounters with Sabalenka and took revenge on her Madrid Open final defeat to her. The French Open was her first title since her victory at the 2024 WTA Finals and there she played her third back-to-back finals on clay, following her defeats in Madrid and Rome.

In Paris, Sabalenka was bidding to win her fourth title in her seventh final of the season. Prior to the clay-court Major, the 27-year-old had also reached the Australian Open final but couldn’t move past Madison Keys. The World No.2 is also in Berlin and is projected to lock horns with Sabalenka in the final.

The reigning US Open champion has never tasted success on grass. She will kick-start her Berlin Open campaign against qualifier Rebeka Masarova who beat Sofia Kenin in the first round. The upcoming match will be their first meeting on the WTA Tour.

Coco Gauff calls Serena Williams the greatest of all time

Coco Gauff became the first American woman since Serena Williams in 2015 to lift the Roland Garros title. She is also the youngest American since the 23-time Grand Slam singles champion to emerge victorious in the clay-court Major. Gauff has never played a tour-level match against her idol, who retired at the 2022 US Open and whom she considers the GOAT (greatest of all time).

Serena Williams
Serena Williams (Image via X/We Love Tennis)

Number one for me, the only position that is not interchangeable is for sure Serena Williams. I think that she is obviously the greatest and I think that her mindset, her athletic ability, her power, her personality, and presence that she led in the sport, I think is very inspiring.

Coco Gauff told TNT Sports

Gauff is now a two-time champion on clay as before Roland Garros, she had lifted the 2021 Emilia Romagna Open. On grass, however, Gauff has never won a title. She will kick-start her campaign in Germany’s capital against Wang Xinyu or Daria Kasatkina and if she progresses to the quarterfinals, she will meet Paula Badosa or Emma Navarro.

Last year in Berlin, she was defeated in the semifinals by compatriot Jessica Pegula. At Wimbledon, Gauff has never progressed beyond the fourth round, reaching the stage thrice (in 2019, 2021, and 2024).

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