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Aryna Sabalenka came under fire from popular American sports media personality Stephen A. Smith over her controversial comments after her defeat to Coco Gauff in the final of the 2025 French Open. The American clinched her second Grand Slam title after she staged an impressive turnaround to defeat the Belarusian (5)6-7, 6-2, 6-4.
Gauff, who is currently basking in the success of Grand Slam glory, joined Stephen A. Smith on his show First Take. During the interview, Smith brought up the 21-year-old's opponent in the final, Sabalenka, and voiced his thoughts on how she shouldn't be the World No. 1 following the final.
"Well, you just beat the No. 1 player in the world. And by the way, this ain't the first time you beat her. You beat her in 2023. You beat her again this time around. Aryna Sabalenka, that's her name. I bring her up because even though she's the No. 1 player in the world, I don't think she should be that way now, not after this loss. It should be you (Gauff)." (3:57 onwwards)
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During the press conference after her defeat, the 27-year-old controversially stated that the American won their title clash because of the mistakes she made.
"I think she won the match not because she played incredible. Just because I made all of those mistakes," she said.
Coco Gauff had responded to the comments during an interview on Good Morning America, where she said she gave Aryna Sabalenka the benefit of the doubt and understood that she would've been emotional after the match. It is worth noting that the Belarusian had clarified to the tennis fraternity what she meant by her comments a day after the final.
However, Stephen A. Smith slammed Sabalenka, stating she came across as a 'sore loser' due to her comments.
"But I'm asking, what is her problem? I mean, somebody got to ask this question. She came across as a very sore loser after she lost to you. What is up with her?"
Coco Gauff responded to Smith's comments by reiterating her original answer that the Belarusian must've been a bit emotional after the defeat.
Sabalenka wanted the tennis world to understand she wasn't taking anything away from Gauff, but also wanted to express her disappointment with her performance.
"I'm always going to be honest and human in how I process these moments" - Aryna Sabalenka clarifies controversial comments over Coco Gauff loss
Aryna Sabalenka shared a message on Instagram to clarify what she meant by her comments following her defeat to Coco Gauff. She explained how she meant to take nothing away from Gauff, but wanted to be honest about her performance, which wasn't her best tennis.
“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,” she said.
“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.”
While Coco Gauff is celebrating her win and will soon kick off her grass swing, Aryna Sabalenka is currently enjoying a vacation in Greece with her boyfriend Georgios to put this heartbreaking loss behind her.
