Aryna Sabalenka’s response to French Open final was childish and unfair on Coco Gauff

Comment: The World No 1’s lack of recognition and downright disrespect after losing the French Open final should lead to some self-assessment, writes Jamie Braidwood

Aryna Sabalenka just wanted to get out of Paris. Within an hour of losing the French Open final to Coco Gauff, the World No 1 had already booked her flight to Mykonos for a few days of “alcohol, sugar and swimming like a tourist”. After a second painful defeat in a grand slam final in a row and watching Gauff lift the Coupe Suzanne Lenglen, Sabalenka skipped the usual platitudes in the on-court trophy ceremony and was typically self-critical when taking the microphone, describing her performance as “terrible”.

Barely 20 minutes later, Sabalenka’s appearance at her post-match press conference was so sudden that she beat most of the reporters into the media theatre. In no mood to hang around any longer, Sabalenka was left waiting at the press-conference table, scrolling on her phone impatiently, as everyone else filed into the room.

Had Sabalenka calmed down after her immediate post-match frustration? Not a bit. Instead, Sabalenka continued the critical analysis of her tennis, calling it “the worst I've played in the last many months” and “the worst final I have played”.

Few would begrudge Sabalenka for being so frustrated after a big defeat, particularly after leading by a set in such challenging conditions and after making 70 unforced errors. But when Sabalenka was asked a question about whether her opponent had contributed to the difficulty of the match, the World No 1’s response came across as childish and disrespectful.

“Honestly sometimes it felt like she was hitting the ball from the frame,” Sabalenka said. “Somehow, magically, the ball lands in the court. It felt like a joke, honestly, like somebody from above was there laughing, like, ‘let's see if you can handle this’.”

It got worse from Sabalenka, too. From suggesting Gauff had fluked it, Sabalenka continued to be ungracious. “I think she won the match not because she played incredible, just because I made all of those mistakes,” said Sabalenka, who also claimed that four-time Iga Swiatek would have beaten Gauff had she reached the final. Gauff was correct to point out that she had beaten Swiatek, on clay, 6-1 6-1 in their last meeting.

Coco Gauff poses with the trophy alongside beaten finalist Aryna Sabalenka (Getty)

Sabalenka has since sought to belatedly offer Gauff some credit, though without detracting her previous comments or owning up to an error of judgement. She posted on Instagram on Sunday: “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."

Still, the episode reflected poorly on Sabalenka, as did her inability immediately after the match to identify that Gauff had won with her defensive skills as much as the World No 1 had lost it behind her racket. Gauff made her own luck by getting balls back in play, an obvious strategy after her previous victory over Sabalenka to win the 2023 US Open, but the correct one given the conditions.

The wind was also the same for both players. “It was super tough when I walked on the court and felt the wind because we warmed up with the roof closed,” Gauff said. “I was, like, ‘this is going to be a tough day’. I knew it was just going to be about willpower and mental.”

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Coco Gauff hugs Aryna Sabalenka after their match (Associated Press)

Sabalenka has recovered from tough defeats in the past. But worryingly for the Belarusian there was a regression in her mental approach after her errors started to spiral and Gauff broke to lead the second set, and a reluctance to accept the reality of what happened during the final is not going to help.

The player who showed more maturity, both during the final and afterwards, was the 21-year-old Gauff. The American was only informed of Sabalenka claiming that Swiatek would have won the French Open against Gauff, rather than what Sabalenka said about her “framing” balls as well, and dealt with it as impressively as the final. “No shade to Iga or anything, but last time I played her I won in straight sets,” Gauff said.

It has been clear since Gauff made her breakthrough as a 15-year-old at Wimbledon that she has a good head on her shoulders. Gauff has coped with the pressures of expectation and responded to difficult moments, such as her first French Open final defeat to Swiatek three years ago. With a second grand slam title, there is more evidence that Gauff is on the right path.

Sabalenka maintained her loss was significantly down to unforced errors (Associated Press)

Sabalenka, meanwhile, remains a dominant force at the top of the sport but has been scrambled in consecutive grand slam finals by players with wildly different games in Gauff and Madison Keys. As she left Paris for the Greek islands, it was perhaps time for a little more self reflection to realise she was the common denominator.

The French Open was live and exclusive on TNT Sports and discovery+