Serena Williams’ Ex-Coach Slams Aryna Sabalenka For Comments About French Open Final Defeat to Coco Gauff

Aryna Sabalenka was denied her fourth Grand Slam singles title by Coco Gauff, who now took a 6-5 head-to-head lead over the World No.1.

Serena Williams’ Ex-Coach Slams Aryna Sabalenka For Comments About French Open Final Defeat to Coco Gauff

Coco Gauff, Aryna Sabalenka (Image via X/Coco Gauff, We Are Tennis France)

Aryna Sabalenka lost a Grand Slam final for the second time this year. After her defeat in the Australian Open final to Madison Keys, Sabalenka couldn’t capitalize on her 1-0 first-set lead as Coco Gauff made an impressive comeback to take home her career’s first French Open title.

An emotional Sabalenka later said she played her worst tennis in recent weeks. En route to her defeat to Gauff, the Belarusian knocked out World No.7 Iga Swiatek, who entered Roland Garros to bid for her fourth consecutive title.

The 27-year-old, in the press conference, later said that had the Pole beaten her in the semifinals and reached the final, she would have defeated Gauff. Fans and even some former players criticized her for this. Andy Roddick, on his Served podcast, admitted he was disappointed hearing those words from Sabalenka.

Now Serena Williams‘ former coach Rennae Stubbs made her feelings known on the same. She could not believe those words came out of her mouth. She said on her The Rennae Stubbs Tennis Podcast:

And those words came out of her mouth and the crowd went dead silent and I was like no, no, no. Reel that back. But she didn’t. And then she went into press and doubled down on it. I was like, this is so bad.

The three-time Grand Slam singles champion was struggling a bit to play on a windy day and ended up committing 70 unforced errors to Gauff’s 30. After this backlash, Sabalenka took to Instagram and lauded Gauff for handling the windy conditions on Court Philippe-Chatrier better than her.

Gauff is now the youngest American to win at Roland Garros since Williams in 2002. The French Open was her first title of this season as before this, she lifted the WTA Finals last year.

It was also her second title on clay after the 2021 Emilia Romagna Open and her second Grand Slam singles title following the 2023 US Open. Gauff is 2-1 in Major finals, while Sabalenka is 3-3. These three defeats came in the finals against the Americans.

Gauff’s lone defeat came in the 2022 French Open final against Swiatek. The 21-year-old now holds a 6-5 head-to-head record over the reigning US Open champion.

Andy Roddick says Aryna Sabalenka is the favorite to win Wimbledon

The European clay swing has ended and now it’s time for the grass season. Coco Gauff is the most successful player on the red dirt this season, having reached three consecutive finals and winning the French Open.

Aryna Sabalenka
Aryna Sabalenka (Image via X/The Tennis Letter)

The World No.2 has won 18 matches on the surface and behind her is Aryna Sabalenka with 17 wins as she too has reached three finals and won the Madrid Open by beating the American. On grass, neither of them has tasted any success.

At Wimbledon, Gauff has never progressed beyond the fourth round, reaching the last 16 thrice, including in 2024. Sabalenka is a two-time semi-finalist at SW19 and had skipped the tournament last season due to an injury. Andy Roddick, during his latest Served podcast, picked Sabalenka to win Wimbledon ahead of his compatriot.

She’s [Gauff] amazing, but that doesn’t mean her spaces where she needs to work change immediately. [Elena] Rybakina is going to be on the shortlist, Madi [Madison Keys] is going to be on the shortlist. Sabalenka is the clear-cut favorite.

In recent years, Sabalenka and Gauff have dominated on hard courts, while on clay, it’s Iga Swiatek. But at Wimbledon, seven different players won it since 23-time Grand Slam singles champion Serena Williams lifted her seventh title here.

Last year, Barbora Krejcikova took home the trophy by beating Jasmine Paolini. One player who has made it to two consecutive finals is Ons Jabeur. She lost to Rybakina in 2022 and to Marketa Vondrousova the following year.

Also read: Juan Carlos Ferrero Delivers Warning to Carlos Alcaraz Despite Historic Roland Garros Triumph