Aryna Sabalenka Releases Statement Amid Backlash Over Coco Gauff Comments

Following Aryna Sabalenka's loss to Coco Gauff in the French Open women's final on Saturday, some of Sabalenka's comments after the loss seemed to blame the poor conditions for her loss, and in turn, discredit Gauff on her second Grand Slam victory. Sabalenka was emotional after a loss where she made numerous uncharacteristic errors, but a few of her comments did not come off well.

Though Sabalenka did commend Gauff on her "well-deserved" victory immediately after the match, she indicated that her mistakes allowed Gauff to win, not Gauff's own play.

"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. I think she won the match not because she played incredible. Just because I made all of those mistakes."

Sabalenka also said that she believed had Iga Swiatek defeated her in the semifinals, Swiatek would've gone on to win the final.

Gauff responded to the comments after, saying she did not agree that Swiatek would beat her and added that she felt Sabalenka was her toughest opponent.

On Sunday, Sabalenka posted a statement on Instagram, which clarified the intent of her comments from the day before and praised Gauff for the win.

“Yesterday was a tough one. Coco handled the conditions much better than I did and fully deserved the win," Sabalenka wrote. "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."

"But both things can be true… I didn’t play my best, and Coco stepped up and played with poise and purpose," Sabalenka continued. "She earned that title. Respect. Time to rest, learn, and come back stronger.” 

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