Aryna Sabalenka reveals Coco Gauff apology as she makes 'completely unprofessional' confession

Aryna Sabalenka has revealed she apologised to Coco Gauff over the controversial comments she made after losing the 2025 French Open final to her American rival.

The world No 1 missed out on a maiden Roland Garros title as she fell 7-6(5), 2-6, 4-6 to Gauff in the championship match at the Paris Grand Slam.

Sabalenka hit 70 unforced errors — the highest tally committed by a player in any match at this year’s French Open women’s singles event.

In her press conference, Sabalenka gave a scathing assessment of her own performance and claimed that Iga Swiatek — who she defeated in the semi-finals — would have beaten Gauff.

“It was really, honestly, the worst tennis I’ve played in the last, I don’t know, in the last I don’t know how many months,” the Belarusian said.

“Conditions were terrible, and she simply was better in these conditions than me. I think it was the worst final I ever played.

“I don’t know, I think Iga [Swiatek] – if Iga would win me another day, I think she would go out today and she would get the win.”

Sabalenka, who is competing at this week’s Berlin Open, admitted in an interview with Eurosport Germany that she regrets her statements after the French Open final.

“That was just completely unprofessional of me. I let my emotions get the better of me. I absolutely regret what I said back then,” said the 27-year-old.

“You know, we all make mistakes. I’m just a human being who’s still learning in life. I think we all have those days when we lose control. The difference with me is: the world is watching. I get a lot more hate for what I did afterwards than other people.

“But what I also want to say is that I wrote to Coco afterward — not immediately, but recently. I wanted to apologise and make sure she knew she absolutely deserved to win the tournament and that I respect her. I never intended to attack her.

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“I was super emotional and not very smart at that press conference. I’m not necessarily grateful for what I did. It took me a while to go back and think about it, to approach it with open eyes, and to understand.

“I realised a lot about myself. Why did I lose so many finals? I kept getting so emotional. So I learned a lot.

“Above all, one thing: I’m the one who always treats my opponents with great respect — whether I win or lose. Without that respect, I wouldn’t be where I am today. So it was a tough but very valuable lesson for me.”

The three-time major champion also looked ahead to Wimbledon, where she will aim to win her first title.

“We all have the same goal: to win the tournament,” Sabalenka asserted. “I’ve built a lot of self-confidence over the years, but at the same time, I’ve realised: It has nothing to do with self-confidence.

“It’s about how willing you are to go out on the court and compete, even when things aren’t going so well. It’s about how willing you are to go out there and fight for what you want.”

Sabalenka will face world No 112 Rebeka Masarova in her opening match at the WTA 500 grass-court event in Berlin.

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