Patrick Mouratoglou Says Coco Gauff Was “Ten Times Better Than” Aryna Sabalenka on Dealing with Her Emotions at the Roland Garros Final

Coco Gauff defeated Aryna Sabalenka in a thrilling Roland Garros final to claim her second career Grand Slam.

Patrick Mouratoglou Says Coco Gauff Was “Ten Times Better Than” Aryna Sabalenka on Dealing with Her Emotions at the Roland Garros Final

Aryna Sabalenka, Coco Gauff, and Patrick Mouratoglou (via X/The Tennis Letter/Swish Tennis)

Aryna Sabalenka has come under heavy criticism after her controversial comments after the Roland Garros final. The World No.1 was beaten by Coco Gauff, who claimed her second Grand Slam title at the tournament. Legendary coach Patrick Mouratoglou has revealed what could have possibly been the reason behind Sabalenka’s comments after the loss.

In the thrilling women’s singles final at Roland Garros, Sabalenka struck the first blow by winning the opening set. However, Gauff rallied from behind to win the match in three sets, with the Belarusian hitting a mind-blowing 70 unforced errors. A disappointed Sabalenka was in tears after the match and managed to speak during her on-court runners-up interview.

However, during her post-match press conference, the three-time Grand Slam winner stated that four-time French Open winner Iga Swiatek would have beaten Gauff if she had made it to the final. She also added that her errors handed the win on a platter to the American star. She received severe backlash from former players, legends, and fans alike on social media.

The Belarusian then issued an apology statement clarifying her comments. And recently, Patrick Mouratoglou revealed in an Instagram video that Gauff handled the pressure of the final better than the World No.1. He added that the American showed her mental fortitude and gave Sabalenka no chance in the match:

You don’t win a final of a Grand Slam with your technique. You win it with your mind and your heart. Coco was superior in both. When she (Sabalenka) makes those comments, it means that she’s trying to deny the mental aspects of the game. Coco stayed composed during the match; she was ready to fight whenever there was a little opening...Coco was ten times better than Sabalenka at dealing with her emotions.

Before the Roland Garros final, the last time Gauff beat Sabalenka was at the WTA Finals in Riyadh and she went on to win the title. Since then, the American star had failed to win a title until the Roland Garros. She reached the WTA 1000 final in Madrid and Rome, but fell to Sabalenka and Jasmine Paolini, respectively.

Gauff and Sabalenka will feature at the Grass Court Championships in Berlin. Both players will be looking forward to kicking off their grass-court campaign with a good run at the event and might meet at the final ahead of the Wimbledon Championship.

British legend predicts who will win Wimbledon between Coco Gauff and Aryna Sabalenka

Coco Gauff and Aryna Sabalenka are the two leading favorites for the Wimbledon Championship, which starts on June 30. The former reached the fourth round of the tournament last year before losing to Emma Navarro, while the latter has reached the semi-final in 2021 and 2023 but missed the event in 2022 and 2024.

Coco Gauff, Aryna Sabalenka (3)
Coco Gauff, Aryna Sabalenka (Image via X/Complex, Univers Tennis)

British legend Laura Robson predicted via her column on Sky Sports, between Gauff and Sabalenka, who has the better chances of winning Wimbledon:

I don’t know who is favourite in the women’s Wimbledon event. I would probably say Sabalenka because she’s done well there in the past but for Coco it’s been a surface which hasn’t quite given her the results that the other Slams have. Even though Gauff has made the fourth round three times, there’s not been that standout result, I’d say, so I think that leaves it quite open for some new faces to come in.

Since 2022, the women’s singles Wimbledon champion has always been from outside the Top 5. Elena Rybakina claimed the title in 2022, Marketa Vondrousova in 2023, and Barbora Krejcikova in 2024. Likely, this year might not be an exception, as an underdog could again snatch the championship crown.

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