French Open: Aryna Sabalenka looking forward to ‘Tequila, gummy bears and swimming' in Mykonos after ‘worst final in my career'
French Open runner-up Aryna Sabalenka broke down in tears and apologised for what she labelled a 'terrible final' after losing 6-7(5) 6-2 6-4 to American Coco Gauff on Saturday. World number one Sabalenka appeared to be in the driving seat after taking a 4-1 lead in the opening set, but made a staggering total of 70 unforced errors in the match.
'This one hurts so much, especially after such a tough two weeks of playing great tennis and then in these terrible conditions to show such terrible tennis in the final,' the Belarusian said as she stifled her sobs. 'Thank you my team for the support, I'm sorry for this terrible final. As always I will come back stronger,' the three-time Grand Slam champion said. 'To Coco: you deserve it, you're a hard worker, a fighter.' She added that Gauff was the better player than her clearly on the day.
Sabalenka, who was the favourite coming into the final based on her recent form contributed to 70 of the 100 unforced errors that were made in a match played in conditions not ideal for flowing attacking tennis. The Head-to-Head was dead even at 5-5 before this clash between the top two players in the world right now. Sabalenka had the recent edge having beaten Gauff in the Madrid final on clay, and also winning their last Grand Slam meeting at last year's Australian Open semifinal. But it turned out to be somewhat of a repeat of the US Open 2023 final when Gauff recovered from a slow start to beat Sabalenka in three sets.
Aryna, you can be so proud of your tournament 🧡#RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/ySgwm3uVqT
— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) June 7, 2025
In the press conference, she elaborated: 'Honestly, it was the worst tennis I've played in the last I don't know how many months. The conditions were terrible, and she was simply better in those conditions than I was. I think it was the worst final I've played in my career.'
'It felt like a joke, honestly, like somebody from above was just staying there laughing saying 'let's see if you can handle this',' Sabalenka added. 'Honestly, sometimes it felt like she was hitting the ball from the frame. Somehow magically the ball lands in the court, and you are kind of on the back foot.'
'Honestly guys this all hurts so much'
Aryna Sabalenka tries to fight off the tears after defeat to Coco Gauff in the Roland-Garros final 🥹
She'll be back stronger 💪#RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/pTfOv3mBRG
— TNT Sports (@tntsports) June 7, 2025
Sabalenka said she is looking forward to a break now. 'I already have a flight booked to Mykonos and alcohol, sugar. I just need couple of days to completely forget about this crazy world and this crazy — if I could swear, I would swear right now, but this crazy thing that happened today,' she said. 'I think everyone understands. I'm just trying to be very polite right now, but there is no other word that could describe what just happened today on the court.
'Tequila, gummy bears and swimming, being like a tourist for a couple of days.'
(With Reuters inputs)
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Economic Times
41 minutes ago
- Economic Times
Coco Gauff celebrates French Open triumph with ball kids in heartwarming moment
Coco Gauff poses with ball kids after winning her French Open title. Coco Gauff celebrated her maiden French Open title in a heartwarming way, sharing the joyous moment with the ball kids at Roland Garros on Saturday. After her stunning victory, the American joined the ball kids onto the court in an impromptu celebration that lit up the stadium. Gauff made her way over to the young group, high-fiving every single ball kid before gathering for a group photo. It was a joyful moment that reflected her warmth and appreciation. — rolandgarros (@rolandgarros) The ball kids were also given a special moment as they had the chance to lift the prestigious Suzanne-Lenglen Cup at Roland Garros. The gesture added a touching gesture to post-match celebrations, making the experience even more memorable for the young volunteers who played a key role throughout the tournament. Gauff became the first American woman since 2015 after legendary Serena Williams to claim the elusive trophy. The young American staged impressive comeback after dropping the first set, ultimately claiming a thrilling 6-7, 6-2, 6-4 victory over World No. 1 and top seed Aryna Sabalenka of Belarusia. — rolandgarros (@rolandgarros) The win marked her maiden triumph at Roland Garros and her second Grand Slam title overall, adding to her 2023 US Open success. Overwhelmed with emotion, Gauff wept profusely before accepting her trophy and found it difficult to maintain composure whilst delivering her victory address. — rolandgarros (@rolandgarros) She became tearful during an affectionate moment with her family members in the spectator area. After the initial celebrations subsided, the 21-year-old took a stroll around the court, displaying her latest championship triumph erased the disappointment of her defeat in the 2022 French Open final against Iga Swiatek. During that match, she had experienced intense nervousness before entering Court Philippe-Chatrier as an 18-year-old competitor.
Time of India
44 minutes ago
- Time of India
Coco Gauff celebrates French Open triumph with ball kids in heartwarming moment
Coco Gauff celebrated her maiden French Open title in a heartwarming way, sharing the joyous moment with the ball kids at Roland Garros on Saturday. After her stunning victory, the American joined the ball kids onto the court in an impromptu celebration that lit up the stadium. Gauff made her way over to the young group, high-fiving every single ball kid before gathering for a group photo. It was a joyful moment that reflected her warmth and appreciation. — rolandgarros (@rolandgarros) by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like New Container Houses Indonesia (Prices May Surprise You) Container House | Search ads Search Now Undo The ball kids were also given a special moment as they had the chance to lift the prestigious Suzanne-Lenglen Cup at Roland Garros. The gesture added a touching gesture to post-match celebrations, making the experience even more memorable for the young volunteers who played a key role throughout the tournament. Gauff became the first American woman since 2015 after legendary Serena Williams to claim the elusive trophy. The young American staged impressive comeback after dropping the first set, ultimately claiming a thrilling 6-7, 6-2, 6-4 victory over World No. 1 and top seed Aryna Sabalenka of Belarusia. Live Events — rolandgarros (@rolandgarros) The win marked her maiden triumph at Roland Garros and her second Grand Slam title overall, adding to her 2023 US Open success. Overwhelmed with emotion, Gauff wept profusely before accepting her trophy and found it difficult to maintain composure whilst delivering her victory address. — rolandgarros (@rolandgarros) She became tearful during an affectionate moment with her family members in the spectator area. After the initial celebrations subsided, the 21-year-old took a stroll around the court, displaying her latest championship trophy. Gauff's triumph erased the disappointment of her defeat in the 2022 French Open final against Iga Swiatek. During that match, she had experienced intense nervousness before entering Court Philippe-Chatrier as an 18-year-old competitor.
NDTV
44 minutes ago
- NDTV
Coco Gauff Lets It All Out After Winning 1st French Open Title: "Would Feel Regret..."
Coco Gauff said a maiden French Open trophy was "one I really wanted" after securing the title with victory over Aryna Sabalenka on Saturday. The 21-year-old secured a hard-fought 6-7 (5/7), 6-2, 6-4 win over the world number one in difficult, windy conditions at Roland Garros. "I felt like this is one I really wanted, because I do think this was one of the tournaments that when I was younger that I felt I had the best shot of winning," said American star Gauff. "So I just felt like if I went through my career and didn't get at least one of these, I would feel regrets and stuff. "Today, playing Aryna, I was just, 'I just gotta go for it and try my best to get through the match'." It was a long-awaited success for Gauff, who was in tears after losing the 2022 French Open final to Iga Swiatek as a teenager and had reached at least the quarter-finals in Paris in each of the previous four years. "That ceremony when Iga won, I just remembered trying to take it all in and pay attention to every detail and just feel like I wanted that experience for myself," added the world number two, who also came back from a set down to beat Sabalenka in the 2023 US Open final. "When the anthem got played, I vividly remember watching her, pretty emotional when the Polish anthem got played. I was, like, 'Wow, this is such a cool moment'. "So when the (USA) anthem got played today, I kind of had those reflections." - 'Not a day for great tennis' - Gauff is the first woman to beat a world number one in a Grand Slam final from a set down since Venus Williams against Lindsay Davenport at Wimbledon in 2005. It was her first title since lifting the WTA Finals trophy last year, after suffering final defeats in both the Madrid and Italian Opens to Sabalenka and Jasmine Paolini respectively. Sabalenka called the conditions "terrible", as the wind swirled after the roof was opened shortly before the start of the match. "It was not a day for great tennis, honestly," admitted Gauff. "I don't know too many people that could play great tennis today, but it's part of the sport and part of playing outside." American film director and diehard New York Knicks fan Spike Lee was in attendance and celebrated with Gauff after her victory. "I wanted to tell him, I had to do it, that even though the Knicks didn't win, I gave him something to cheer for," she said, in reference to the Knicks' defeat by the Indiana Pacers in the NBA's Eastern Conference Finals last weekend. Both players struggled on serve, especially in a 77-minute first set featuring eight breaks. Sabalenka said she thought Swiatek would have beaten Gauff if she had not ended the Pole's title defence in the semi-finals, but the actual champion shot down those thoughts. "I don't agree with that. I'm sitting here," said Gauff, who thrashed Swiatek 6-1, 6-1 in the Madrid semi-finals last month, taking a glance at the trophy next to her. "Last time I played -- no shade to Iga or anything, but I played her and I won in straight sets. "I don't think that's a fair thing to say, because anything can really happen."
