"Aryna Sabalenka should take notes" - Fans throw shade at Belarusian after Jannik Sinner's 'gracious' runner-up speech at French Open

Jannik Sinner delivered a heart-warming runner-up speech after his devastating defeat to Carlos Alcaraz; however, tennis fans compared the Italian's speech to that of Aryna Sabalenka. The Belarusian came under fire from the tennis fraternity following her comments after her defeat to Coco Gauff.

Sinner took a two-set lead against his rival in the final and even had three championship points in the third set, however, the man from Murcia did the unthinkable to clinch victory from the jaws of defeat 4-6, (4)6-7, 6-4, 7-6(3), 7-6(2) after five hours and 30 minutes of breathtaking tennis.

Despite his heartbreaking defeat, Jannik Sinner delivered a gracious runner-up, touching the hearts of fans all over the world.

“First of all Carlos congrats. Amazing performance. Amazing battle. Amazing everything. To you and your team, amazing job. I’m very happy for you. You deserve it. Congrats.”

“It’s easier to play than talking now. My team, thank you so much for putting me in this position. We tried our best today. We gave everything we had. Some time ago we would’ve signed to be here. Still an amazing tournament even though it’s very very difficult right now. But it’s ok," he added.

Interestingly, Aryna Sabalenka came under fire from tennis fans due to what she said after her defeat to Coco Gauff. The Belarusian, who hit 70 unforced errors, said if it had been Iga Swiatek in her place, the Pole would've defeated Gauff and also explicitly stated,

"Coco Gauff won the match not because she played better, I made those easy mistakes."

Fans on X (formerly Twitter) highlighted the contrast in the way the two runner-ups spoke following their defeats, throwing shade at the Belarusian. One fan said Sabalenka should take notes from Sinner.

"Very gracious as always..so Sabalenka should take notes," the fan said.

Another fan shared the same sentiments.

"Learn from him @SabalenkaA," the fan wrote.

Here are some other reactions from tennis fans.

"Where is Sabalenka?? This is how it is done!" a fan questioned.

"Someone please show Aryna this!" a fan commented.

"Aryna sabalenka could never," a fan wrote.

"Perhaps @Sabalenka could learn something from Sinner who didn’t try to undermine his opponent’s achievement by rubbishing their win. Instead he expressed his disappointment at losing whilst also wholeheartedly congratulating Alcaraz. Sinner has class unlike the bitter Sabalenka," a fan opined.

However, it is worth noting that Aryna Sabalenka later issued a clarification over her comments.

"I didn't play my best, and Coco Gauff stepped up and played with poise and purpose" - Aryna Sabalenka issues clarification amid backlash

Aryna Sabalenka - Source: Getty

Nearly a day after receiving backlash from tennis fans for her comments, Aryna Sabalenka went to Instagram to clear the air around the way her comments were being interpreted. She stated that Coco Gauff stepped up and earned the title; however, she made clear that she was completely disappointed with her performance, and said both things could be true.

“You all know me... I'm always going to be honest and human in how I process these moments. I made over 70 unforced errors, so I can't pretend it was a great day for me.”

“But both things can be true... I didn't play my best, and Coco stepped up and played with poise and purpose. She earned that title. Respect. Time to rest, learn, and come back stronger,” she added.

Interestingly, Coco Gauff had a firm response to Sabaleka's comments and stated that she didn't agree with the Belarusian's comments.