Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff have become the talk of the WTA Tour for more reasons than one this season.
Sabalenka enters Wimbledon sitting top of the WTA rankings, with Gauff following her rival in second place.
But it was the American who won their most recent battle in the French Open final, after which Sabalenka was criticised for her comments about the poor conditions in Paris.
Moreover, Sabalenka said Iga Swiatek would have beaten Gauff if that pair had instead played out the final in Paris.
Sabalenka apologised to Gauff, and the pair have since reunited on court for a practice match ahead of Wimbledon.

Aryna Sabalenka issues final word on Coco Gauff comments after French Open final
The world number one has now shared an update on their current standing, providing details in her opening press conference in London.
“It’s been really good with Coco and honestly, as I said, in the statement and I messaged to her, I didn’t really want to offend her,” said Sabalenka. “I was just completely upset with myself, and emotions got over me, and I just completely lost it.
“And I wanted to say it in person to her, but I wasn’t sure if she was going to come to Berlin, so I had to message her to apologise and make sure she understood that I didn’t want to offend.
“And of course, she got my respect. She knew it, she knows it, and I’m happy that she was like, ‘Yeah, it’s all good. Don’t worry’.
“And yeah, as you saw the video I was talking, we were good, we are friends, so I hope the US media can be easy on me right now.”
Aryna Sabalenka says what she has learned from her French Open final comments about Coco Gauff
The pair are certainly in very different spirits to that Roland Garros final at this moment in time, having danced together on social media at SW19.
Sabalenka is seemingly over the defeat, while Gauff will still be on a high from that performance and from her second career Grand Slam success.
READ MORE: What happened in Coco Gauff’s practice match with Aryna Sabalenka on Centre Court ahead of Wimbledon
She now has a 2-1 win-loss record at Grand Slam finals, with the Belarusian having won three and lost three.
The latter also shared her emotional journey following her latest such defeat, having been asked if it was difficult getting the attention for her comments on Gauff in the aftermath of the loss.
| Result | Year | Tournament | Surface | Opponent | Score |
| Win | 2023 | Australian Open | Hard | Elena Rybakina | 4–6, 6–3, 6–4 |
| Loss | 2023 | US Open | Hard | Coco Gauff | 6–2, 3–6, 2–6 |
| Win | 2024 | Australian Open | Hard | Zheng Qinwen | 6–3, 6–2 |
| Win | 2024 | US Open | Hard | Jessica Pegula | 7–5, 7–5 |
| Loss | 2025 | Australian Open | Hard | Madison Keys | 3–6, 6–2, 5–7 |
| Loss | 2025 | French Open | Clay | Coco Gauff | 7–6(7–5), 2–6, 4–6 |
| Win | 2025 | US Open | Hard | Amanda Anisimova | 6–3, 7–6(7–3) |
| Loss | 2026 | Australian Open | Hard | Elena Rybakina | 4–6, 6–4, 4–6 |
Sabalenka responded: “I mean… I did what I did, and I get what I deserve, I believe, and it was a tough time for me.
“I’m glad I had a book and Mykonos so I could just get distracted by reading books, so yeah, I got back to reading. So the lesson is learned and definitely not going to happen again.”
Receive exclusive tennis news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
