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Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Aryna Sabalenka Addresses Her Controversial Comments About Coco Gauff After French Open Loss
NEED TO KNOW Aryna Sabalenka is walking back controversial comments she made following her French Open final loss to Coco Gauff The Belarussian player lost the match in three sets after winning the first-set tiebreaker Gauff won her second Grand Slam title, beating Sabalenka 6-7, 6-2, 6-4 Aryna Sabalenka is walking back her comments after losing to Coco Gauff in the French Open. The world No. 1, who battled windy conditions and a light mist in the final against the 21-year-old American, initially told reporters that Gauff 'won the match not because she played incredible' but because 'I made all of those mistakes.' Advertisement After a day of reflection and amid backlash from her statement, the Belarusian player offered a different stance following her 6-7, 6-2, 6-4 loss. Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. 'Yesterday was a tough one. Coco handled the conditions much better than I did and fully deserved the win," Sabalenka, 27, wrote on Instagram on Sunday, June 8. "She was the better player yesterday, and I want to give her the credit she earned. You all know me… I'm always going to be honest and human in how I process these moments. I made over 70 unforced errors, so I can't pretend it was a great day for me." Tnani Badreddine/DeFodi Images/DeFodi via Getty Aryna Sabalenka Aryna Sabalenka Sabalenka continued, "But both things can be true… I didn't play my best, and Coco stepped up and played with poise and purpose. She earned that title. Respect. Time to rest, learn, and come back stronger.' Advertisement In the three-set loss to Gauff, Sabalenka's serve frequently went astray, as if the wind carried it. At times, she showed her exasperation — throwing the ball angrily in the direction of a ball girl and then spiking it on the ground in another instance — when the match took a turn after she won the first-set tiebreaker 'I think it was more windy. Also I think I was over emotional," Sabalenka said, following the match. "Today I didn't handle myself quite well mentally. Basically that's it. I was just making unforced errors. I don't know. I have to check the statistics. I think she won the match not because she played incredible. Just because I made all of those mistakes." Sabalenka went on to say had she not beaten Iga Swiatek in the semifinal, Swiatek would have gone on to beat Gauff. 'I mean, I don't agree with that,' Gauff later said at her own presser. 'I'm here sitting here [as the champion].' Advertisement She added, 'No shade to Iga or anything, but last time I played her I won in straight sets. I don't think that's a fair thing to say, because anything can really happen.' On Saturday, Gauff proved that, winning her second Grand Slam title nearly two years after her historic US Open win against Sabalenka, where she also dropped the opening set. Read the original article on People
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Coco Gauff ‘Surprised' by Aryna Sabalenka's Comments After French Open Win
NEED TO KNOW Coco Gauff became the French Open champion after defeating opponent Aryna Sabalenka on Saturday, June 7 After their final face-off, Sabalenka told reporters that Gauff won the match because Sabalenka "made all of those mistakes" Sabalenka then walked back her comments the next day, but Gauff told Good Morning America she was surprised by her opponent's initial remarks Coco Gauff is responding to her French Open opponent Aryna Sabalenka's comments about their final face-off on Saturday, June 7. Sabalenka lost to Gauff, 6-7, 6-2, 6-4, during their final at Roland Garros Stadium in Paris. After the game, Sabalenka, 27, told reporters that Gauff, 21, 'won the match not because she played incredible,' but because 'I made all of those mistakes.' Advertisement After facing critiques for her comments, Sabalenka issued a statement on Instagram the next day, saying, 'Yesterday was a tough one. Coco handled the conditions much better than I did and fully deserved the win.' "She was the better player yesterday, and I want to give her the credit she earned,' she wrote. 'You all know me… I'm always going to be honest and human in how I process these moments. I made over 70 unforced errors, so I can't pretend it was a great day for me." Then on Monday, June 9, Gauff appeared on Good Morning America and briefly chatted about Sabalenka's reaction to Gauff's win. "I know she was probably a bit emotional after that match and it was a tough loss," Gauff said, adding, "I was a little bit surprised about the comments and everything, but I'm gonna give her the benefit of the doubt. I'm sure it was an emotional day, emotional match." Tnani Badreddine/DeFodi Images/DeFodi via Getty Coco Gauff at the 2025 French Open at Roland Garros on June 07, 2025 in Paris, France. Coco Gauff at the 2025 French Open at Roland Garros on June 07, 2025 in Paris, France. "When I stepped on the court, I was aware of the wind," Gauff said of the weather conditions on Saturday. Advertisement "We both practiced with the roof closed, so I honestly wanted the roof to be closed before the match because my quarterfinal and semi — it was closed, and I thought I was playing good tennis." Gauff continued, "But when I found out it was open, I saw how windy it was on the court, I knew it was gonna be an ugly win." "I had to force her to play that way and make a lot of balls and put those balls in the court,' Gauff said, acknowledging that Sabalenka is "a tough opponent" and a 'fighter.' Gauff was the first American woman to win the French Open since Serena Williams' 2015 victory. Advertisement "I never dreamt about winning a tournament before in my life and I still haven't, and that was the only time I had a dream about winning one," Gauff candidly told GMA. "I just always thought that this tournament, like, just had to happen. ... So I wrote it down and instilled in my head. It was one of the last things I said to myself before I went on the court." Tnani Badreddine/DeFodi Images/DeFodi via Getty Aryna Sabalenka serves against Coco Gauff during the Women's Singles Final on Day 14 of the 2025 French Open at Roland Garros on June 7, 2025 in Paris, France. Aryna Sabalenka serves against Coco Gauff during the Women's Singles Final on Day 14 of the 2025 French Open at Roland Garros on June 7, 2025 in Paris, France. Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. While Gauff is excited about her recent win, she's looking forward to Wimbledon, which will begin on Monday, June 30, and conclude on Sunday, July 13. Advertisement "I think the main piece of advice everyone's told me is to take it in and soak it in, and then when it's time to get back to work, get back to work," she said. "But I'm always looking ahead, so I am ready to get back and start training for Wimbledon and try to pull that off. But yeah, for now, I'm definitely trying to soak it in." Read the original article on People
Forbes
04-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
French Open 2025: Coco Gauff Beats Madison Keys To Reach Semifinals
Paris, France - June 4: Coco Gauff of United States celebrates winning match point against Madison ... More Keys of United States in the Women's Singles Quarter Final match on Day Eleven of the 2025 French Open at Roland Garros on June 04, 2025 in Paris, France. (Photo by Tnani Badreddine/DeFodi Images/DeFodi via Getty Images) American tennis star Coco Gauff reached the French Open semifinals for a second year in a row after beating compatriot Madison Keys 6-7(6), 6-4, 6-1 in Wednesday's clash on the Parisian red clay. Gauff, the second seed at the 2025 French Open, fought back after missing a set point in the opener to beat seventh seed Madison Keys in two hours and 11 minutes. The 21-year-old will face France's Lois Boisson for a place in Sunday's final. With Wednesday's victory in the all-American quarterfinal, Gauff, the 2022 French Open runner-up, has reached her fifth Grand Slam semifinal overall, of which three have come on the Parisian clay. She is the youngest woman to claim 25 main-draw wins at Roland Garros since Martina Hingis (1995-2000). Play at Court Philippe-Chatrier began with the roof closed, prompting Gauff to lower her racquet tension in anticipation of slower conditions. But the youngster leaked 11 unforced errors in the first five games to go behind a 4-1 double break. "I changed [the tension] at 4-1, and after that I had chances to win the first set," Gauff said in an on-court interview. "It's difficult to find the tension and how you want to play ... I thought with the roof closed it would play slower, which it did in some moments, but I felt it was quick too. Also, I was playing Madison, so I don't know if that was the reason why!" In the second set, Gauff was leading 4-1 with a double break before Keys registered a three-game run to level things at 4-4. However, at that point, Gauff pulled off her best shot of the match -- an angled backhand pass off a Keys smash -- paving the way to break again. From thereon, she went on to win eight of the next nine games, out-foxing Keys with drop shots. While Gauff tightened up her game in the deciding set, it was a scrappy affair between the two players, as Keys tallied 25 winners to 60 unforced errors, while Gauff found 15 winners to 41 unforced errors (including 10 double faults). "I'm happy to get through this match today, I have a lot more work to do, I'll be ready tomorrow," Gauff said after the match. Gauff's victory over this year's Australian Open winner, Keys, also ended her 11-match winning streak at major tournaments. When she faces Frenchwoman Boisson in the last four, Gauff will be looking to improve on her result from last year, when she lost to Iga Swiatek in the semifinals. The second 2025 French Open semifinal will be between top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka and four-time French Open champion Swiatek.
