
Gauff 'tired of talking' about Sabalenka French Open spat
Gauff won a tense three-set clash in stormy conditions in Paris to land her second Grand Slam earlier this month.
However, the aftermath of the match was dominated by Sabalenka's comments that Gauff didn't play "incredibly well" and instead won "because I made all those mistakes".
The Belarusian has since apologised and the two showed they have put the spat behind them by posting a dance video together on TikTok on the Wimbledon grass.
"It was just water under a bridge. I know Aryna," said Gauff at a press conference on Saturday. "We got along pretty well anyways before all that happened. It wasn't very hard to accept that apology."
Despite a backlash against Sabalenka in the US media, Gauff said it was not hard to hold her tongue and resist the temptation to respond.
"I'm not someone that supports hate and things like that. So I thought it would be a good idea for that (the Tik Tok video) just so people can really see it and kind of move on because I think we're both tired of talking about it, to be honest."
Williams was the last woman to do the French Open and Wimbledon double back in 2015.
Gauff admitted she is in "new territory" as she arrives in London off the back of her first win at Roland Garros and is aiming to get beyond the fourth round at Wimbledon for the first time.
"It is a quick turnaround. I think that's the reason why this kind of double is so hard," said the world number two.
"You go from winning such a high tournament and kind of having to be back to work not even a few days later.
"I would love to do that. Also, I'm not going to put that much pressure on myself because I've been telling my team and people around me, this is all new territory for me."
Gauff faces Ukraine's Dayana Yastremska in round one at Wimbledon.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


France 24
6 hours ago
- France 24
Kvitova relishes chance for farewell at 'special' Wimbledon
Kvitova returned from maternity leave in February following the birth of her son Petr in 2024, but quickly found it difficult to handle the demands of being a mother on the gruelling tennis circuit. The 35-year-old Czech announced last week that she will bring the curtain down on her career after the US Open in August. Kvitova's decision gives the former world number two, who has won 31 titles in her career, one last opportunity to return to the scene of her most memorable triumphs. A raw 21-year-old when she stunned Maria Sharapova to win the 2011 Wimbledon final, three years later Kvitova returned to the All England Club title match to rout Eugenie Bouchard 6-3, 6-0. Those golden memories will be on her mind when when she steps on court at Wimbledon against Spanish 10th seed Emma Navarro in the first round on Tuesday. "I knew that I will not carry on for a long time because I was already tired before and tennis is a very difficult sport. Of course with a baby it's not that easy, and I'm not that young any more," Kvitova told reporters at Wimbledon on Sunday. "My body, it's struggling a little bit, it's just too much probably. I had the time when I said, 'OK, I'm done, I don't want to put myself in this situation'. "I wanted to enjoy Wimbledon. I wanted to know, even for myself, that it will be my last one because it's so many memories I have, even the bad ones. "Most important are the two great ones. It's always been my special tournament and that's why I wanted to say it out loud before it starts." Asked for her favourite All England Club moment, the left-hander cited the final minutes before she clinched the trophy for the first time. "I think it was the first one, when I had 5-4 and I was going to serve for the match," she said. "I do remember I was sitting on the bench and I was telling myself it's maybe just one chance in my life so I should try to do it." Now ranked 572, Kvitova has lost seven of her eight matches since becoming a parent. She will not miss the pre-match nerves, saying she often looked "as white as a wall" before taking to the court. But the thrill of proving herself against elite opponents will be hard to replace for a player who, in her heyday, reached three Grand Slam finals and won the WTA Finals in 2011. "It's a beautiful sport," she said. "I'm not sure how I'm going to feel but every time stepping here in Wimbledon it's very special.


France 24
8 hours ago
- France 24
Fonseca expects Brazilian fans to bring the noise at Wimbledon
British world number 51 Fearnley will face 18-year-old Fonseca on Court One in the first round on Monday. But while Fearnley might expect strong support from fans at the All England Club, rising star Fonseca is confident the passionate backing from his Brazilian followers will drown out the home crowd. "It's difficult to be as loud as the Brazilians," he told reporters at Wimbledon on Sunday. "Hopefully there are going to be some Brazilians looking up and cheering for me." Fonseca has enjoyed a breakthrough year including his first ATP title in Buenos Aires and a shock win over then world number nine Andrey Rublev in his Grand Slam debut at the Australian Open. The world number 54, whose smooth style of play has drawn comparisons with his idol Roger Federer, has been supported by raucous flag-waving fans in Miami and at the French Open already this year. But featuring at Wimbledon for the first time is the culmination of a boyhood dream for Fonseca, who imagined one day playing on the lush lawns of south-west London while he was growing up in Rio. "Even on Court One, it's just going to be a dream playing my first match here in Wimbledon," said Fonseca, who beat Fearnley in the Indians Wells first round in March. "For me this tournament is a dream, everything you can see is perfect. Even the flowers, every detail is just perfect. When you come here, you just see how amazing it is. "It's just a dream come true. It's for sure my favourite grand slam because of the culture and the history of Wimbledon. © 2025 AFP


France 24
10 hours ago
- France 24
Krejcikova ready for Wimbledon title defence after injury scare
Krejcikova's Wimbledon participation was plunged into doubt when she pulled out of the warm-up event at Eastbourne on Thursday. The 29-year-old withdrew before playing Varvara Gracheva in the quarter-finals after initially sustaining the injury on Wednesday during her second-round victory over Jodie Burrage. But after resting for several days, Krejcikova is confident the injury will not be an impediment to her bid to retain the Venus Rosewater Dish. "I had to have a couple of days off where I didn't really play any tennis but I did some off-court stuff. I've been feeling every day a little bit better, so I'm really happy with that," she told reporters at the All England Club on Sunday. "I hope by Tuesday everything is going to be fine. I hope I'm going to have a nice match and a great tournament." Krejcikova will start her All England Club campaign against Alexandra Eala of the Philippines in the first round on Centre Court on Tuesday. Eala made history by becoming the first Filipina to reach a WTA final with her run to the Eastbourne title match on Saturday. The 20-year-old enjoyed a breakthrough run to the Miami Masters semi-finals in March and Krejcikova is relishing the chance to test herself against an emerging star. "To be honest, I don't really know that much about her yet because she's obviously a young player, an upcoming player, and one of the players of the new generation," she said. "I know that she was doing quite well at the first half of the year. It's going to be a great matchup. I'm looking forward to see where the young generation is." 'A mix of emotions' Krejcikova, a two-time Grand Slam winner, hopes being back at Wimbledon can provide a welcome lift after a difficult year. The world number 16 has endured a rough ride since defeating Italy's Jasmine Paolini in the Wimbledon final 12 months ago. Krejcikova lost in the second round of the recent French Open and also missed January's Australian Open with a back injury, which kept her sidelined until May and has restricted her to just six matches this year. She made a poor start to the grass-court season with a shock loss against Slovakia's Rebecca Sramkova in the Queen's Club first round before her premature Eastbourne exit. "It's actually very nice to be here and to play, even after all the time I was out," she said. "I'm enjoying it. I'm happy to be here. I find it tough, complicated, but I don't find it difficult." Asked how she will feel playing on Centre Court for the first time since the final, Krejcikova said: "It feels great. Definitely I grew up since then. "I feel very happy and really, let's say, privileged that I can go from this position into the tournament. "It's going to be a mix of all the emotions but I think most of them are going to be very positive." Krejcikova's maiden Grand Slam triumph came at the 2021 French Open, but winning on the iconic lawns of south-west London was an even more memorable experience. "Everything was amazing," she said. "It was like a fairytale, winning the match point and looking at the box. Very special. "I couldn't really believe that they were giving the trophy to me." © 2025 AFP