"Aryna Sabalenka was friggin' tired" - Danielle Collins explains why Coco Gauff controversy from French Open was not World No. 1's fault

Aryna Sabalenka's controversial comments about Coco Gauff after the pair's clash in the women's singles final of this year's French Open were recently revisited by Danielle Collins. Defending the Belarusian over her much-criticized remarks, Collins highlighted the extreme stress that athletes at tennis' elite level have to deal with.

World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka put herself in pole position to win Roland Garros for the first time after she took the first set against Coco Gauff. However, the American, not to be denied, remarkably bounced back and ultimately won the championship match 6-7(5), 6-2, 6-4. In the aftermath of the result, the Belarusian controversially opined that her loss to Gauff boiled down to her own erratic performance rather than the American dominating her.

Unsurprisingly, Aryna Sabalenka's take didn't go down too well, with the Belarusian subsequently finding herself on the receiving end of some fierce criticism from both fans and high-profile names in the tennis world. Danielle Collins though, empathized with the World No. 1 during a recent appearance on The Gay Tennis Podcast. Citing the relentless pressure that Sabalenka has to play under, the former WTA No. 7 said:

"Aryna is the number one player in the world and she has a big target on her back. There's a lot of pressure when you're the number one player in the world to consistently perform, expectations from sponsors, expectations you put on yourself and there's an enormous amount of pressure that is very difficult for people to understand." (from 48:34)

She went on to opine that the Belarusian was quite exhausted after the conclusion of the 2025 French Open women's singles final.

"They played a three-and-a-half-hour match. They battled. That match was one of the best final matches that we've probably ever seen on tour, and it didn't go her way and I honestly think at the end of the day that Aryna was friggin' tired and she just needed a nap," Collins added.

"Coco Gauff's response to everything Aryna Sabalenka said, that says everything" - Danielle Collins lauds compatriot's maturity after Belarusian's controversial remarks at French Open 2025

Danielle Collins during a press conference at the 2024 Miami Open (Source: Getty)

Following her second singles Major title triumph at Roland Garros this year, Coco Gauff headed back home to the USA and appeared in an interview with Good Morning America. Here, the 21-year-old shared her thoughts on Aryna Sabalenka's controversial remarks about her. However, instead of taking a swipe at Sabalenka, Gauff displayed maturity beyond her years as she did her best to understand where the Belarusian came from.

"I mean after that I was a little bit surprised about the comments and everything, but I'm going to give her the benefit of the doubt. I'm sure it was just an emotional day, an emotional match, and every time I play Aryna, she's a fighter. She's a tough opponent," Coco Gauff said.

Lauding Gauff's response, Danielle Collins told The Gay Tennis Podcast:

"Coco's response to everything that Aryna said, that says everything. I think we all know where her heart is and we all respect her for the player that she is and people aren't going to be perfect all the time. People need to be more understanding about (the fact that) we're all just people at the end of the day." (from 49:30)

Coco Gauff and Aryna Sabalenka eventually moved on from their French Open controversy in spectacular fashion, as they bonded at the Wimbledon Championships and even recorded themselves dancing during a practice session at the grass Major. Currently, both WTA stars are in Wuhan, China, for this year's edition of the Wuhan Open, where the Belarusian is the defending champion.