Aryna Sabalenka suffered a heavy loss against American young professional Coco Gauff in the 2025 Roland Garros finals. However, after the match, she didn’t hold back when reflecting on what went wrong, taking an indirect yet strong dig at her rival.
While she congratulated her opponent, the World No. 1 made it clear she believed the loss had more to do with her own mistakes than Gauff’s brilliance.
“I think she won the match not because she played incredibly,” Sabalenka said. “Just because I made all of those mistakes. If you look from the outside, from kind of easy balls.”
As expected, the statement garnered massive attention from fans, eliciting a plethora of reactions online. Though Sabalenka was in control early, leading 4-1 in the second set, the match slipped away when the Belarusian made 70 unforced errors.
Asked what shifted the momentum, Sabalenka answered, “I think it was more windy. Also, I think I was overemotional. Today, I didn’t handle myself quite well mentally. Basically, that’s it. I was just making unforced errors.”
Despite the tough loss, Sabalenka showed respect to her opponent, acknowledging her ability to stay composed and capitalize on her opponent’s errors.
Meanwhile, Coco Gauff etched her name in the history books. The 20-year-old became the youngest American to win Roland Garros since Serena Williams in 2002, and the first since Serena in 2015.
Talking about the post-match celebration, Coco Gauff dropped to the clay in tears after the final point, then rushed into the crowd to embrace her parents. However, on the flip side, this is another tough pill to swallow for Sabalenka in a Slam final.
But on this day in Paris, it was Coco Gauff’s time, and Sabalenka’s pointed remarks will only add more fuel to what’s becoming another great rivalry in the WTA.
