LONDON, 28 June (Reuters) – Wimbledon Top seeds Aryna Sabalenka says she has cleared the air with Coco Gauff after she lifted eyebrows with her comments in the aftermath of her French open definitive loss for the American.
An emotional Sabalenka described the game as the “worst tennis” she had played for many months and that her mistakes had been the decisive factor instead of the Gauff’s excellence.
Sabalenka wrote to Gauff to apologize shortly thereafter, with the labeling of her comments “unprofessional” and the two rivals were fortunately chatting this week on the Wimbledon practitions.
“We have always been really good with Coco. To be honest, as I said in the statement and I sent her, I didn’t really insult her,” told the 27-year-old Sabalenka, who offers her first Wimbledon title, to reporters.
“I was just completely upset with myself and emotions came over me. I just lost it completely.
‘Of course she has my respect. She knew it. She knows. I am happy that she is: ‘Yes, it’s all good, don’t worry. ‘I was talking, we are good, we are friends. I hope the American media can now be easy.
“I did what I did. I get what I deserved, I believe. It was a difficult time for me,” she added and said she immersed herself in reading books to get her thoughts from her heartache from Paris.
Gauff won that wrong French final 6-7 (5) 6-2 6-4 and will be sown in Wimbledon and the chance is that their compelling rivalry in the final could continue in two weeks.
Sabalenka Trails Head-To Head
Triple Grand SLAM champion Sabalenka’s loss against Gauff in Paris followed her loss of the American in the US Open final in 2023 and she follows their head-to-head 6-5.
Asked if she would enjoy the chance to avenge the loss by beating Gauff in the final of Wimbledon, she sounded uncertain.
“I don’t know, in this case I may not want to see Coco if I reach the final. But if she will be there, I am happy because I want to do revenge!”
A jovial Sabalenka was accompanied for the last minute of her press conference by seven-time Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic with whom she said she had a long conversation this week after she had hit the Serbian on the grass.
“Novak is the best. First of all, I was able to hit him. Then you can chat with him. He will give his honest advice,” she said. “It is amazing to hear the opinion of such a legend. We were just talking about things that I struggle a bit. I am really grateful for the advice he gave me.”
Sabalenka starts on Monday against the Canadian qualification Carson Branstine and says she knows nothing about her, other than the fact that she is ‘really beautiful’. (Reporting by Martyn Herman; editing by Andrew Cawthorne)
