Coco Gauff has shared a firm response to Aryna Sabalenka’s controversial claim that Iga Swiatek would’ve defeated the American in the 2025 French Open final. Gauff made it clear why she disagreed with the Belarusian’s opinion with a strongly worded statement.
Gauff displayed her impressive resilience in the tense French Open final, securing a 6-7(5), 6-2, 6-4 comeback victory. On the other hand, Sabalenka struggled to produce her best level, racking up 70 unforced errors and later apologizing for her “terrible” performance in the match.
Aryna Sabalenka’s frustration was also evident in her post-match press conference, as she claimed that if Iga Swiatek had defeated her in the semifinals, she would’ve gone on to triumph over Gauff in the title clash.
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"That hurts. Especially when you’ve been playing really good tennis all week. If Iga [Swiatek] had beaten me the other day, I think she would have gone out today and gotten the win," Sabalenka said.
After hearing the World No. 1's remarks from a reporter, Coco Gauff quickly pointed out that she had claimed a clinical 6-1, 6-1 win over Iga Swiatek in their recent Madrid Open clash. As such, the American felt that Sabalenka's assessment was unfair.
Gauff also argued that Aryna Sabalenka was the toughest opponent she could've faced in the final since the World No. 1 had been the favorite based on her strong run of form recently.
"I don’t agree with that. I mean, I’m sitting here and last time I played... No shade to Iga or anything, but I played her and I won in straight sets. I don’t think that’s a fair thing to say because anything can really happen," Coco Gauff said in her press conference.
"Honestly, the way Aryna was playing the last few weeks, she was the favorite to win. So, I think she was the best person I could’ve played in the final. Her being No. 1 in the world, she was the best person to play. I think I got the hardest matchup just if you go off stats alone," she added.
Sabalenka also faced backlash from tennis fans for suggesting that Iga Swiatek would've emerged victorious against Coco Gauff in the French Open final.
"Regardless of who I played, I think I had a good shot to win" - Coco Gauff defends against Aryna Sabalenka's remarks
In response to Aryna Sabalenka's remarks, Coco Gauff expressed faith in her ability to clinch her maiden French Open title regardless of which player she faced in the final.
"Obviously Iga being a champion here, it was gonna be a tough match either way. But yeah, regardless of who I played, I think I had a good shot to win and I definitely had that belief," Gauff said.
The 21-year-old also admitted that she would've liked to face Iga Swiatek in the final and explained the reasons for her preference.
"If you ask me honestly who I wanted to play, it was Iga. Just because I felt Aryna was playing so good and she was. Obviously Iga is a tough opponent too. Honestly neither of them would’ve been the better shot. But it played out how it played out and that’s why I’m here today," she added.
Aryna Sabalenka also came under fire from Serena Williams' ex-coach Rennae Stubbs, who lambasted the Belarusian over her "rude" comments after losing to Coco Gauff in the French Open final.
