While tennis star Coco Gauff walked away as the big winner at the 2025 French Open over the weekend, it's her opponent Aryna Sabalenka that's making headlines. And believe us when we tell you, it's not for something good.
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In case you've been living under a rock for the last 72 hours, Gauff walked away with the silver trophy after a competitive match against the aforementioned Belarusian player. By doing so, she became the first American to win the French Open since Serena Williams in 2015. And while her win understandably took over social media timelines in the immediate aftermath, things took a turn after her opponent did a post-game interview and made what many took to be super shady remarks towards Gauff.
When asked by reporters about her loss and the game overall, Sabalenka attributed her losing to the conditions not being the best and her not playing her best game--and not to Gauff just being a better player.
'I think she won the match not because she played incredible. Just because I made all of those mistakes. I think it was more windy. Also I think I was over emotional. Today I didn't handle myself quite well mentally," Sabalenka said. "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, if you look from the outside, from kind of easy balls."
Naturally, once her comments reached social media, folks online were quick to drag the tennis player over her un-sportsman-like words.
"Aryna Sabalenka really showed her ass after that final. I think she was so upset at losing the first time to Coco she vowed to obliterate her the next time they met and that wasn’t the case. OMG. I gave her grace at the post match presentation but the press conference??!!" wrote on user on X/Twitter.
"I guess it’s a one way street. Coco is so gracious to Aryna both in victory and in defeat. Aryna on the other hand, not only ungracious but downright disrespectful. Ok the on-court comments we’ll let slide but the press conference? Long may Coco continue to beat you in GS finals!" said another.
Added one other user, speaking comically about the weather "conditions" the players were up against: "They acted like coco wasn’t playing in the same wind that Aryna was."
Sabalenka has since sent out a statement on her official Instagram, walking back her comments about Gauff, saying in part: "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. She earned that title. Respect.”
But, according to one other user, her sweet words are coming a little too late.
"Aryna Sabalenka can keep this. Her comments after the game told me that she thinks Coco Gauff is beneath her, which is why she intentionally went out of her way to discredit her," the user said.
Gauff has also responded to Sabalenka's comments, saying in part that her comments were unfair and that she was the favorite to win but ultimately: she's the one with the trophy.
"The way Aryna was playing the last few weeks, she was the favorite to win. So I think she was the best person that I could have played in the final. Her being number one in the world was the best person to play, so I think I got the hardest matchup just if you go off stats alone," she said per The Independent.
She later added: "I think regardless of who I played, I had a good shot to win and I definitely had that belief."
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