"People were taking it too far" - Coco Gauff says she won't "fuel hate" as she addresses Aryna Sabalenka controversy after Wimbledon patch-up

Coco Gauff spoke up on her refusal to "fuel" the controversy surrounding herself and rival Aryna Sabalenka, which began in the aftermath of the American's win over the Belarusian in the women's singles final at the 2025 French Open. The controversy has well and truly been put to bed, as Gauff and Sabalenka sensationally patched up ahead of their respective campaigns at this year's Wimbledon Championships.

Sabalenka, clearly irked after losing the Roland Garros final to Gauff despite having led the American by a set, had downplayed her rival's performance and attributed the defeat to her own erratic display. To make matters worse, the Belarusian claimed that Iga Swiatek would have beaten the American in the final had the Pole won in the semifinals against her. The WTA No. 1 later issued an apology, which the American accepted.

Speaking at her pre-tournament press conference ahead of her first-round match at the grass Major, Coco Gauff stated that Aryna Sabalenka's critics crossed the line when it came to dishing out flak for the Belarusian over her remarks.

"I’m not the person that will fuel hate in the world. I think people were taking it too far. It was just really targeting and saying a lot of things that I felt were not nice. I didn’t want to fuel that more," Gauff said.

Upon listening to what Sabalenka had to say for the first time after their French Open final clash, Gauff refuted the Belarusian's claims, particularly the one involving Swiatek. The American cited her straight-set victory over the Pole in the semifinals of the Madrid Open to back up her dismissal of Sabalenka's take.

After both the American and the Belarusian arrived at Wimbledon to begin their preparations for their respective campaigns at SW19, they practiced together. During a break in the practice session, they endearlingly filmed TikTok videos of themselves dancing, confirming they'd buried the hatchet and moved on.

Coco Gauff to begin Wimbledon campaign with clash against Dayana Yastremska; Aryna Sabalenka to lock horns with Canadian qualifier in first round of grass Major

Coco Gauff (left) and Aryna Sabalenka (right) (Source: Getty)

Coco Gauff is set to start her 2025 Wimbledon Championships campaign against Ukraine's Dayana Yastremska. Gauff and Yastremska have faced each other on three previous occasions, with the 21-year-old American coming out on top in all of them.

However, Gauff's form heading into her first-round match at SW19 is a concern. The WTA No. 2 suffered a massive upset in the only grass tournament she has played so far this year; a second-round loss to Wang Xinyu at the Berlin Tennis Open.

Meanwhile, Aryna Sabalenka will begin her quest for a fourth Major singles title on the grass courts of Wimbledon with a first-round match against Carson Branstine, a 24-year-old qualifier who hails from Canada. The pair has never faced each other before.