LONDON, June 28 (Reuters) – Wimbledon top seed Aryna Sabalenka says she has cleared the air with Coco Gauff after she raised eyebrows with her remarks in the aftermath of her French Open final loss to the American.
An emotional Sabalenka described the match as the “worst tennis” she had played for many months and that her mistakes, rather than Gauff’s excellence, had been the decisive factor.
Sabalenka wrote to Gauff to apologize soon after, labelling her remarks “unprofessional” and the two rivals were seen chatting happily on the Wimbledon practice courts this week.
“We’ve always been really good with Coco. Honestly, as I said in the statement and I messaged to her, I didn’t really want to offend her,” the 27-year-old Sabalenka, who is bidding for her first Wimbledon title, told reporters.
“I was just completely, like, upset with myself, and emotions got over me. I just completely lost it.
“Of course, she’s got my respect. She knew it. She knows it. I’m happy that she was, like, ‘yeah, it’s all good, don’t worry.’ I was talking, we are good, we are friends. I hope the U.S. media can be easy on me right now.
“I did what I did. I get what I deserved, I believe. It was a tough time for me,” she added, saying she has immersed herself in reading books to take her mind off her Paris heartache.
Gauff won that error-strewn French final 6-7(5) 6-2 6-4 and is seeded two at Wimbledon and the likelihood is that their compelling rivalry could continue in the final in a fortnight.
SABALENKA TRAILS HEAD-TO-HEAD
Three-time Grand Slam champion Sabalenka’s loss to Gauff in Paris followed her loss to the American in the U.S. Open final in 2023 and she trails their head-to-head 6-5.
Asked whether she would relish the chance to avenge the loss by beating Gauff in the Wimbledon final, she sounded unsure.
“I don’t know, in this case maybe I don’t want to see Coco if I make it to the finals. But if she’s going to be there, I’m happy because I want to get the revenge!”
A jovial Sabalenka was joined for the last minute of her press conference by seven-time Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic whom she said she had a long chat with this week after hitting with the Serbian on the grass.
“Novak is the best. First of all, I was able to hit with him. Then you can chat with him. He will give his honest advice,” she said. “It’s amazing, to hear the opinion of such a legend. We were just chatting about stuff that I’m struggling a little bit. I’m really thankful for the advice he gave me.”
Sabalenka begins on Monday against Canadian qualifier Carson Branstine, saying she knows nothing about her other than the fact that she is “really beautiful.” (Reporting by Martyn Herman; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne)
