“I wish Serena Williams had been given the same grace” - Fans question Jimmy Connors’ defense of Aryna Sabalenka’s controversial French Open comments

Serena Williams’ fans recently lashed out at former tennis star Jimmy Connors for defending Aryna Sabalenka after the controversial comments she made about Coco Gauff after the French Open finals.

Gauff and Sabalenka faced off against each other in the summit clash of Roland Garros, where the former walked away with the win 6-7 (5), 6-2, 6-4. Sabalenka made a series of unforced errors throughout the game, and in a post-match interview implied that her errors gifted Gauff the Grand Slam title. The Belarusian also insinuated that had Iga Swiatek made it to the finals instead of her, Gauff would have lost.

Subsequently, Sabalenka has been under fire from fans for taking credit away from Gauff. Recently, in his ‘Advantage Conners’ podcast, Jimmy Connors defended the World No.1, saying,

“After a tough match, whether it’s the final of the French or Wimbledon, whatever, everyone wants to hear your thoughts right away. Maybe it’d be better to give them 5 minutes. Let the players take a breath.”

Reacting to this, one fan on X was quick to recall the backlash that Serena Williams faced through her career for making similar comments, writing,

“I wish Serena had been given such grace.”

Another fan voiced a similar opinion, writing,

“They wouldn't bring all these rationales if it were Serena Williams. She would have been crucified and torn to shreds.”

Here is how other fans reacted to Jimmy Connors defending Aryna Sabalenka's comments after the French Open finals,

“Where was the same grace for the William sisters? Let them be honest & deal with the fallout,” one wrote.

“Funny how what Brett said about Sabalenka wasn't ever the take on Serena when she said similar comments after tough matches,Serena said to be rude, disrespectful, a bad loser,and a poor sport. Endless double standards and perspectives when the last name isn't Williams,” another added.

“This is why I'm happy I never gave in to those Serena haters. For years y’all criticized her and made up rules that were definitely specifically for her and not others, because what is this sympathy campaign? She went out of her way to completely discredit Coco and she was clear,” one X user shared.

“These very people bashed Serena for not giving her opponents enough credit when she made comments that were way less derogatory after losing. They called her arrogant, disrespectful, etc. Mind you, Serena's comments were justified because she was way more dominant than Aryna,” yet another fan chimed in.

Aryna Sabalenka praises Coco Gauff in statement after French Open

Aryna Sabalenka at the 2025 French Open (Image Source: Getty)

After fans criticized Aryna Sabalenka’s unsportsmanlike comments post the French Open finals, the World No.1 later clarified her thoughts about Coco Gauff. In an Instagram story, the Belarusian acknowledged that her opponent had dealt with the conditions better, and gave her her due credit, writing,

“Coco handled the conditions much better than I did and fully deserved the win. She was the better player yesterday, and I want to give her the credit she earned.”

For her part, Gauff disagreed with Sabalenka's statements. The American admitted that she had been hoping to play Iga Swiatek in the finals instead of Sabalenka, but added that she had been confident of her chances at a win either way.

Over the course of their career, Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff have now played each other 11 times, with the latter having won on six of these occasions.