Aryna Sabalenka’s Remarks on Coco Gauff’s Win Draw Criticism

So, let’s talk about sportswomanship.

Over the weekend, Cori Dionne Gauff (affectionately known as “Coco”) won the French Open. During the post-match press conference, a visibly upset Aryna Sabalenka, the world’s number one, soon set social media afire with her remarks. 

Not because of the sore loser part – tennis fans have come to practically expect the “I lost because I made too many mistakes” speech. But for the continued vitriol of her excuse making, calling Gauff’s shots “magical,” the match a “joke,” culminating in the claim that had Iga Swiatek beaten her in the semis, she would have also beaten Gauff in the finals, same as she had done in 2022.

That there was the spark. It’s one thing to criticize your own game. It’s another to disrespect the effort that your opponent exerted to win a match. And worse, to do it with wide eyes while nearly sneering. People noticed. 

After all, despite Iga’s undeniable dominance on clay courts (before this year’s semifinals defeat, Iga hadn’t lost at Roland Garros since 2021), Coco Gauff is the world’s number two player in singles. And as Coco herself was forced to note in addressing Aryna’s remarks, the last time she and Iga met, Coco won in straight sets. 

No Surprises

So how surprising could it really be that the world’s number two player might beat the world’s number one on any given day? It’s not like Coco had no experience on clay. While Iga was working toward her fourth French Open title last year, Coco was busy winning the Doubles championship (with Katerina Siniakova). In fact, Coco is currently the world’s number one doubles player. 

So this framing of the match as if it was some kind of miracle that Gauff could even put a point on the board turned more than a few people off. Especially considering her style of play. Aryna is a bit of a screamer, which, not too long ago, was considered scandalously inappropriate. 

Had the habit been introduced by anyone other than Maria Sharapova, I doubt it would have found acceptance in professional tennis. But there you have it. 

But that reason is exactly why nobody wanted to hear her whine about it being the “worst final,” as if both players didn’t have to endure the same court conditions. Or that Coco “won not because she played incredibly” as if Coco didn’t demonstrate any actual skill on court. Give credit where it’s due. 

Final Whistle

The simple fact of the matter is that Coco dug deeper than Aryna. And at 27, Aryna should know better. Which probably explains her attempts today to “clarify” her post-match statements. 

Unfortunately for her, to borrow a phrase from comedian Josh Johnson, “the internet is all gas, no brakes.” As in the genie is already out of the bottle. No apology today will make people forget how she behaved on Saturday.