Justine Henin says what was ‘tough’ to watch after Coco Gauff beat Aryna Sabalenka in the Roland Garros final

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Aryna Sabalenka was looking to add a fourth Major title to her collection with a win over Coco Gauff.

The Belarusian star produced several impressive displays on her way to the final, taking down the likes of Qinwen Zheng and Iga Swiatek.

Standing between her and a maiden Roland Garros title was 21-year-old Gauff, who herself was searching for her first win in Paris.

After three sets of thrilling action, Gauff defeated Sabalenka 6-7, 6-2, 6-4, to lift the Suzanne-Lenglen Cup for the first time in her career.

Former world number one Justine Henin was involved in the trophy presentations, as she said what was ‘tough’ to see after the match.

Justine Henin says it was ‘tough to see’ Aryna Sabalenka so ’emotional’ after defeat to Coco Gauff

In a behind-the-scenes video posted on the French Open YouTube channel, Belgian legend Henin shared her thoughts on the final.

“That was amazing, we had everything in this final, we like that kind of match,” she said.

“It was tough to see Aryna [Sabalenka] emotional, and at the end, it was difficult, we could feel it, but this is how tennis is at the end, only one wins.

“Coco [Gauff], she’s inspiring.”

Sabalenka could be seen tearing up during her post-match speech, having lost her second Grand Slam final in a row.

The Belarusian suffered the same fate in Melbourne earlier this year when Sabalenka lost to Madison Keys, again in a deciding set.

Sabalenka is now 3-3 in Grand Slam finals, losing to American players in all three of her defeats.

Falling to defeat against Gauff on Saturday, Sabalenka became the first female player to lose the Australian Open and French Open finals in the same year since Serena Williams did so in 2016.

Perhaps Sabalenka can take some confidence from what Williams did directly after her back-to-back Slam final defeats in 2016, as she went on to win the Wimbledon title, taking down Angelique Kerber in the final.

It may take some time for Sabalenka to move on from such a heartbreaking defeat, however, as she missed out on the chance to join the illustrious list of Roland Garros champions.

How many French Open titles did Justine Henin win?

Few women enjoyed more success in the French capital than Henin, who currently sits third in the all-time list.

The Belgian won four French Open titles in five years between 2003 and 2007, as she dominated on the Parisian clay.

• 2003 French Open – Justine Henin beat Kim Clijsters in F
• 2005 French Open – Justine Henin beat Mary Pierce in F
• 2006 French Open – Justine Henin beat Svetlana Kuznetsova in F
• 2007 French Open – Justine Henin beat Ana Ivanovic in F

Henin beat her countrywoman Kim Clijsters in the 2003 final, 6-0, 6-4, to secure the first of her four Roland Garros triumphs.

Henin remarkably never lost a set in a French Open final, dropping just 17 games across her four wins.

Sabalenka will surely look to the likes of Henin for inspiration when she returns to Roland Garros next year.

On her day, the Belarusian certainly has what it takes to win on the clay, but it remains to be seen if her day will come in 2026.

The 2026 French Open is scheduled to begin on Sunday, May 24.