Tennis fans were left shocked by Aryna Sabalenka’s remarks regarding Coco Gauff following the Belarusian’s defeat in the 2025 French Open final. The match on Saturday marked the 11th encounter between the two players on the WTA Tour, with Gauff now leading their head-to-head record with six wins.
In the lead-up to Roland Garros, Sabalenka competed at the Madrid Open and the Italian Open. She triumphed over Gauff in the Madrid final to secure the title, but lost to Zheng Qinwen in the quarterfinals in Rome.
Aryna Sabalenka’s Remarks About Coco Gauff Shock Fans
Sabalenka was the top seed at the 2025 French Open, and she defeated the likes of Kamilla Rakhimova, Jil Teichmann, Olga Danilović, 16th seed Amanda Anisimova, eighth seed Zheng, and three-time defending champion Iga Świątek to reach the final.
In the championship match, Sabalenka faced off against second seed Gauff, winning the first set 7-6(5). However, Gauff mounted a comeback, clinching the next two sets to secure the match and the title with a final scoreline of 6-7(5), 6-2, 6-4.
During the post-match press conference, Sabalenka attributed her loss to a series of unforced errors, and she believed these stemmed from being “over emotional” and unable to handle herself “quite well mentally.”
“I think it was more windy. Also, I think I was over emotional,” Sabalenka said. “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.
The World No. 1 then went on to suggest that Gauff’s victory was less about her exceptional play and more about the mistakes that the Belarusian made. “I think she won the match not because she played incredible,” Sabalenka said. “Just because I made all of those mistakes, if you look from the outside, from kind of easy balls.”
These comments did not sit well with tennis fans, who voiced their disappointment on social media.
One fan criticized Sabalenka’s remarks as “inappropriate and said, “Her comments are so inappropriate.”
Her comments are so inappropriate https://t.co/pczlJrEfqC
— Ameerah (@theameerah) June 7, 2025
“What a classless person,” one Tennis fan wrote. “The appropriate response from an athlete with good sportsmanship would be, ‘I was not in control of my emotions and made many mistakes and Coco was a better player than I today hence she won’🤷🏾♀️ not, “I made mistakes hence she won’ 😏.”
What a classless person. The appropriate response from an athlete with good sportsmanship would be “ I was not in control of my emotions and made many mistakes and Coco was a better player than I today hence she won” 🤷🏾♀️ not bcz “I made mistakes hence she won” 😏 https://t.co/yZt2PR6stR
— BusieM (@BusieM_M) June 7, 2025
Terrible loser!
Those unforced errors was because Gauf forced her to go for more, forced her to hit the ball one more time.
The conditions were the same for both & she’s played in worse. https://t.co/JJ9BGu0mWI
— 🇯🇲7hanos876🇯🇲 (@thanos876) June 7, 2025
One fan commented, “Now new fans have gotten a small taste of the b******* Serena put up with for years.”
Now new fans have gotten a small taste of the bullshit Serena put up with for years https://t.co/IiovDOAvIU
— Beazy-B (@b_wil843) June 7, 2025
“I think that it’s disrespectful towards Coco. You lost because she was stronger. Stay silent and work more. A tiger tattoo but very weak tbh,” a fan wrote.
I think that it’s disrespectful towards Coco. You lost because she was stronger. Stay silent and work more. A tiger tattoo but very weak tbh
— eaglelex (@eaglelex_eth) June 7, 2025
“One thing I have noticed about Sabalenka is that she has never given Coco credit when she loses against Coco,” a tennis fan posted.
Another fan commented, “You lost and she won you just need to congratulate her she move on.”
You lost and she won you just need to congratulate her she move on
— Meche10 ✈️🌎 (@Meche0410) June 7, 2025
What Did Coco Gauff Say After Defeating Aryna Sabalenka in the French Open Final?
While speaking at a press conference following her win over Sabalenka in the 2025 French Open final, Gauff acknowledged that, before the tournament, the Belarusian was considered the favorite to win due to her performances leading up to the Grand Slam. Gauff expressed that the World No. 1 was the “best person” she could have played in the Grand Slam final and won the title.
“Honestly, the way Aryna was playing the last few weeks, she was the favorite to win. I think she was the best person I could’ve played in the final. Her being No. 1 in the world, she was the best person to play,” Gauff said.
Gauff mentioned that playing Sabalenka in the final was the “hardest matchup,” and that believed in her ability to secure the title: “I think I got the hardest matchup just if you go off stats alone…. But yeah, regardless of who I played, I think I had a good shot to win, and I definitely had that belief. But it played out how it played out, and that’s why I’m here today.”
The 2025 French Open marked Gauff’s second singles Grand Slam victory. She won her first Major title at the 2023 US Open, where she also triumphed over Sabalenka to claim the trophy.