The women’s singles tournament at the 2025 French Open ended in controversy, when Aryna Sabalenka downplayed Coco Gauff’s victory after losing to her in the final.
Following her defeat in the championship match at Roland Garros, Sabalenka claimed Iga Swiatek would have beaten Gauff, and said of the American: “I think she won the match not because she played incredible, but because I made all those mistakes.”
The Belarusian later apologised for her comments, calling them ‘completely unprofessional’ and explaining her emotions got the better of her.
Four months on from the final between Gauff and Sabalenka, US WTA star Danielle Collins has given her verdict on the situation.
Danielle Collins gives her opinion on Aryna Sabalenka’s comments
“One thing about me is that if I’m ever in a situation where I need to deliver a speech, I am never going to have something typed out,” said Collins on ‘The Gay Tennis Podcast’. “I am never going to read through a script.”
“I am just going to speak from the heart and whatever is going through my brain. I was embracing the moment [in 2022 Australia Open]. There has been a lot of conversation around different finalist speeches, like Coco and Sabalenka.
“But you have to remember these athletes, we go through so much that people do not see. Aryna is number one in the world; she has a big target on her back. There is a lot of pressure when you are number one in the world to consistently perform.
“There is expectation from sponsors and the expectation you put on yourself. There is an enormous amount of pressure which is very difficult for people to understand.
“They played a three and a half hour match. They battled; it was one of the best finals matches that we have probably ever seen on Tour.
“It didn’t go her way, but honestly, at the end of the day, I think Aryna was really tired, and I think she just needed a nap. She was just trying to talk about wherever her head was at and working through a few different things.
“I think it was incredibly honest, what was going on through her mind. Sometimes our mind has good things, and sometimes our mind has things which were like okay.
“And Coco’s response to everything that Aryna said says everything. We all know where her heart is, and we all respect her as the player that she is.
“People aren’t going to be perfect all the time. People need to be more understanding about that.
“We are all just people at the end of the day, and we say good stuff and we say stuff that we regret. We are just people! We are not robots.
“I just think there is so much people can learn from that situation and how it was handled on Aryna’s behalf, and how she addressed it afterwards and also how Coco responded to it.
“It was such a beautiful moment. I am really proud that I get to work with such cool women and people who are good people and wear their hearts on their sleeves.”
How Coco Gauff responded to Aryna Sabalenka’s comments
When told what Sabalenka had said about Swiatek in June, Gauff responded: “I don’t agree with that. I am sitting here, and last time I played, no shade to Iga, but I played her and I won in straight sets.
“So, yeah, I don’t think that is a fair thing to say. Because anything can really happen and, honestly, I mean the way Aryna was playing the last few weeks she was the favourite to win.
“Obviously, Iga being a champion here, it was going to be a tough match. But I think regardless of who I played, I think I had a good shot to win, and I definitely had that belief.”
Gauff claimed her second Grand Slam title with her triumph over Sabalenka, and her first WTA crown of 2025.
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