Aryna Sabalenka offers written apology to Coco Gauff after 'completely unprofessional' reaction to French Open loss
Aryna Sabalenka says she has written to Coco Gauff to apologise for the "unprofessional" comments she made following her loss to her American rival in the final of the French Open.
Speaking to Eurosport Germany, the top-ranked Sabalenka said her remarks after her 6-7 (5), 6-2, 6-4 loss to Gauff at Roland-Garros this month were a mistake.
In her post-match press conference in Paris, Sabalenka had suggested that the result was more due to her own errors than to Gauff's performance.
"That was just completely unprofessional of me," Sabalenka said.
"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. But what I also want to say is that I wrote to Coco afterward — not immediately, but recently."
Sabalenka hit 37 winners but finished the final with 70 unforced errors — compared to Gauff's 30.
She said she wrote to Gauff to apologise and "make sure she knew she absolutely deserved to win the tournament and that I respect her".
"I never intended to attack her," Sabalanka added.
"I was super emotional and not very smart at that press conference. I'm not necessarily grateful for what I did. It took me a while to go back and think about it, to approach it with open eyes, and to understand. I realised a lot about myself. Why did I lose so many finals?"
Sabalenka, a three-time major champion, also lost to Gauff in the 2023 US Open final, where she also won the first set.
"I kept getting so emotional," Sabalenka added.
"So I learned a lot. Above all, one thing: I'm the one who always treats my opponents with great respect, whether I win or lose. Without that respect, I wouldn't be where I am today. So it was a tough but very valuable lesson for me."
Sabalenka's apology comes after Gauff said she was "a little bit surprised" by the reaction of the Belarusian superstar.
"At the end of the day, what happened, happened. I won because I earned that win," she told ESPN's First Take.
"We both had to play in the wind, we both had to deal with those conditions. I didn't feel great on the court at all.
"I went down 4-1 and I thought I was playing the worst tennis of the tournament, but the difference was, I was able to recognise that and find a different way to try and win that match.
"She's probably emotional about it, so I'm not going to take it too [personally]. I do hope people give her a little bit of slack too."
Gauff and Sabalenka will both be in action at Wimbledon among the top seeds in the ladies' singles draw.
AP/ABC
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