Aryna Sabalenka fell just short of a fourth Grand Slam title at the French Open, where she lost in the final to Coco Gauff.
Gauff defeated WTA Tour number one Sabalenka 6-7(5-7), 6-2, 6-4 in Paris, claiming her second Grand Slam title.
But it is the post-match comments from the Belarusian that many people have been focusing on, as opposed to the match itself.
Sabalenka said Iga Swiatek would have beaten Gauff had they been the two finalists at the French Open this year.
The runner-up also bemoaned the conditions at Court Philippe-Chatrier, as well as saying she was too emotional against Gauff.
Andy Roddick reacts to Aryna Sabalenka’s behaviour towards Coco Gauff
Rennae Stubbs criticised Sabalenka for her comments, with former world number one Andy Roddick now sharing his verdict.
He said on the Served with Andy Roddick podcast: “I didn’t really like what she did in the post-match presser yesterday, talking about how terrible she played and all this stuff and how Iga would have won had she played Coco.
“I don’t know. If a frog had wings it wouldn’t bump its a– when it hopped. What is the point of saying it? I thought it was beneath the precedent that she has set for herself before and frankly it does not matter. Scoreboard wins, loses. There was just no reason.
“You can feel that way and I think the conditions helped Coco a ton. But they are what they are. We know the drill at this point. We know the contract.
“We know sometimes it works for you and sometimes it doesn’t and certainly it can create an outlier result and we can say that on a perfect day the huge ball striker, it’s an advantage if there are fewer elements.
“But the what if game is a dumb one to play. I was disappointed with her going on and on about it. I was not privy to her press conference when I said that she loses pretty well. I think yesterday was an exception. And I think with time maybe she will regret it, maybe she won’t.”
Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff retain WTA rankings after French Open final
Sabalenka has clarified her stance on Gauff and their French Open final, which was played under windy conditions in Paris.
She was clearly frustrated with both her performance and the result, having set such high standards for herself over the years.
READ MORE: Rod Laver and Tracy Austin both react after Coco Gauff wins the French Open for the first time
Despite the defeat, the Belarusian has retained her spot atop the WTA rankings, with Gauff remaining in second.
The duo played out an entertaining final, with their rivalry now potentially set to dominate the women’s game for many years to come.
But the likes of Swiatek and Jasmine Paolini among other top players will want to have their say on the matter.
An out-of-sorts Swiatek managed to reach the French Open semi-finals before losing to Sabalenka, while Paolini won the women’s doubles title alongside Sara Errani.
But the WTA Tour stars must now forget about clay and switch their focus to grass courts, with Wimbledon rapidly approaching.
The HSBC Championships and Libema Open are next up in the schedule, with the next Grand Slam in the calendar getting underway at the end of June.
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