Sabalenka writes to Gauff apologising for her post-match remarks at French Open

Dubai: Aryna Sabalenka seemed to have just lost it immediatley after her French Open final 6-7 (5), 6-2, 6-4 loss against Coco Gauff for her 'unprofessional comments.'

In her post-match press conference in Paris, Sabalenka had said the result was more due to her own errors than to Gauff's performance.

Her comments received a lot of backlash and now the World No 1 was quick to apologise for her comments.

Speaking to Eurosport Germany, the top-ranked Sabalenka said her remarks after her loss at Roland-Garros were a mistake.

“That was just completely unprofessional of me,” Sabalenka said. “I let my emotions get the better of me. I absolutely regret what I said back then. You know, we all make mistakes. I’m just a human being who’s still learning in life. I think we all have those days when we lose control. But what I also want to say is that I wrote to Coco afterward — not immediately, but recently.”

Sabalenka was not at her best during the final committing 70 unforced errors — compared to Gauff’s 30.

She said she wrote to Gauff to apologize and “make sure she knew she absolutely deserved to win the tournament and that I respect her.”

“I never intended to attack her,” Sabalanka added. “I was super emotional and not very smart at that press conference. I’m not necessarily grateful for what I did. It took me a while to go back and think about it, to approach it with open eyes, and to understand. I realised a lot about myself. Why did I lose so many finals?”

Sabalenka, a three-time major champion, also lost to Gauff in the 2023 US Open final, where she also won the first set.

“I kept getting so emotional,” Sabalenka added. “So I learned a lot. Above all, one thing: I’m the one who always treats my opponents with great respect, whether I win or lose. Without that respect, I wouldn’t be where I am today. So it was a tough but very valuable lesson for me.”