Coco Gauff admits French Open final win over Aryna Sabalenka ‘wasn't pretty'

South China Morning Post

a day ago

'I was, like, 'this is going to be a tough day', and I knew it was just going to be about willpower and mental.
'It was super tough when I walked on the court and felt the wind because we warmed up with the roof closed,' she said.
It was Gauff who coped better with the conditions to add the Roland Garros title to her 2023 US Open crown, also against the Belarusian.
A stiff breeze swirled around Court Philippe-Chatrier and contributed to a combined total of 100 unforced errors and 15 breaks of serve.
The 21-year-old American, seeded second, came from a set down to beat world No 1 Sabalenka 6-7, 6-2, 6-4.
Coco Gauff said her first French Open title win 'wasn't pretty' after she battled Aryna Sabalenka and the elements to reign on the Paris clay.
'It really came down to the last few points, but overall I'm just really happy with the fight that I managed today.
'It wasn't pretty, but it got the job done, and that's all that matters.'
It was the first time the top two women's seeds had contested a Roland Garros final since Serena Williams defeated Maria Sharapova in 2013.
Sabalenka edged a tiebreak to win the opening set, which at 77 minutes lasted nine minutes longer than the entire match the last time Gauff was in the Roland Garros final, a chastening 6-1, 6-3 defeat by Iga Swiatek three years ago.
Coco Gauff celebrates with US director Spike Lee after her win. Photo: AFP
But Gauff won back the final two sets, and victory over the 27-year-old Belarusian put to rest the bad memories of that 2022 loss, when, as an 18-year-old, Gauff felt overwhelmed even before stepping onto Court Philippe-Chatrier.
'It was a tough time, I was doubting myself,' Gauff recalled. 'I was crying before the match, and so nervous, literally couldn't breathe and stuff.'
Gauff said the lopsided loss rocked her confidence to such an extent that she was left 'in a dark place' and feared she was not cut out for winning major titles.
'I thought, if I can't handle this how am I going to handle it again?' she said.
She handled it just fine on Saturday and after the match said: 'I think [the US Open victory] was more emotional but this one was harder.'
After she had won, Gauff greeted Sabalenka at the net with a warm hug and thanked the umpire, then screamed out with joy and relief, got to her knees and crouched forward, continuing to cry as she savoured the win.
She later hugged film director Spike Lee and celebrated with her entourage in her box before thanking the fans.
Aryna Sabalenka was an uncharacteristically ungracious loser. Photo: Xinhua
'You guys were cheering for me so hard,' she said. 'I don't know what I did to deserve so much love from the French crowd.'
Sabalenka, a vivacious presence throughout the fortnight both in person and via her social media output, was an uncharacteristically ungracious loser.
'I mean, honestly, sometimes it felt like she was hitting the ball from the frame,' she said.
magically, the ball lands in the court, and you're kind of on the back foot.
'It felt like a joke, honestly, like somebody from above was just standing there laughing, like, 'let's see if you can handle this'.
'I was just making unforced errors. I think she won the match not because she played incredible; just because I made all of those mistakes, kind of like from easy balls.'
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