WTA star Aryna Sabalenka experienced an emotional breakdown after losing the 2025 French Open to Coco Gauff on Saturday, June 7. After receiving the runner-up trophy on stage, the Belarusian had tears rolling down her face while giving the final speech. Besides congratulating her rival and thanking everyone for the amazing support, she also made a promise of coming back stronger next time around.
Aryna Sabalenka Turns Emotional During Her Post-Match Speech at Roland Garros
After receiving the runner-up trophy, Sabalenka took a moment to control her emotions before making the finalist speech. The WTA star mentioned how the loss took a heavy toll on her morale as the last two weeks demanded plenty of mental and physical efforts.
“Honestly, guys, this one hurts so much, especially after such a tough two weeks playing great tennis and in these terrible conditions, showing such terrible tennis in the final. That really hurt, but it’s okay,” she said.
Continuing her speech, the three-time Grand Slam champion congratulated Gauff for her second major win.
“Coco, congrats — in these tough conditions, you were a better player than me. Well done on a great two weeks, and congrats on the second Grand Slam — well deserved. You’re a fighter, hard worker, so congrats to you and your team,” she added.
Moving on, the Belarusian thanked her team for their unwavering support throughout the event and apologized for her failure in the championship match.
“Thank you to my team for your support. I’m sorry for this terrible final. Anyway, thank you everyone, thank you — and as always, I’ll come back stronger,” she said.
The recent defeat marked Sabalenka’s second runner-up trophy in the ongoing season after her defeat against Madison Keys at the Australian Open.
Coco Gauff Extends a Word of Support for Sabalenka
Seeing Sabalenka experience an emotional breakdown, Gauff extended a hand of support to boost her morale during the difficult time. Applauding her commendable levels during the showdown that lasted for two hours and 38 minutes, the 21-year-old admitted that she is deserving of the world No.1 spot.
“I’d like to congratulate Aryna. You’re a fighter. You’re the number one player in the world. Today was a tough match, but you deserve all the results you’ve been having. Every time we play, it’s such a tough match,” she said.
Further expressing excitement about her victory, she added:
“I was going through a lot of things when I lost this final three years ago. I’m just happy to be here. The crowd helped me today. You guys were cheering for me so hard, and I don’t know what I do to deserve such support from the French crowd. I didn’t think I could do it.”
With the recent win, Gauff became the second American WTA star to win the French Open title since Serena Williams in 2015.
