“She’s got my respect”: Aryna Sabalenka reveals everything is fine with Coco Gauff following disparging remarks at French Open

Aryna Sabalenka, the top seed at Wimbledon 2025, has said she and Coco Gauff still have a friendly relationship. This comes after she cleared up comments she made after the French Open final earlier this month. Sabalenka told reporters at the All England Club that they settled the matter in private and that there are no hard feelings between them.

After Gauff defeated Aryna Sabalenka in the Roland Garros final, Sabalenka called her own game the "worst tennis" she had played in months. She pointed to unforced mistakes as the reason for her loss. The match ended with Gauff winning 6-7(5), 6-2, 6-4. This victory marked the second time in a row that Gauff beat Sabalenka in a Grand Slam final. She had done the same at the 2023 U.S. Open.

Sabalenka later messaged Gauff to apologize if her comments sounded disrespectful. She admitted they were "unprofessional" and explained that frustration over her performance led to the remarks. She made it clear she did not mean to take away from Gauff's achievement.

“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,” 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."

She continued,

“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.

After the French Open final, Sabalenka shared that she went through a tough time and used reading to clear her mind.

“I did what I did. I get what I deserved, I believe. It was a tough time for me.”

Aryna Sabalenka ready for the Wimbledon opener after clearing the air with Gauff

A video of the two players talking during a Wimbledon practice session this week showed that they cleared things up in private. Sabalenka mentioned that Gauff took her message well, and nothing was left unsettled between them.

Sabalenka's first opponent at Wimbledon will be Canadian qualifier Carson Branstine. She admitted she does not know much about Branstine’s playing style but said she feels prepared to take on this challenge as she chases her first Wimbledon title.

When asked if she would like a chance to face Gauff in the Wimbledon final for revenge, Sabalenka gave a mixed response. She said,

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“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!”

Aryna Sabalenka will start her Wimbledon campaign on Monday against Canadian qualifier Carson Branstine.

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