"This is so disrespectful";"Bitter loser" - Fans furious at Aryna Sabalenka for claiming Coco Gauff would've lost to Iga Swiatek in French Open final

Aryna Sabalenka’s defeat to Coco Gauff in the 2025 French Open final on Saturday, June 7, was a tough one. While many fans felt for her, the Belarusian also faced heavy criticism for some controversial remarks she made about her opponent after the match.

Sabalenka was nowhere near her best against Gauff, and it showed. She lost her composure multiple times, threw tantrums on court, and racked up a staggering 70 unforced errors before falling 7-6(5), 2-6, 4-6.

Later in the press conference, the Belarusian didn’t hold back and said that if Iga Swiatek had beaten her in the semifinals, she probably would’ve had no problem beating Gauff in the final.

“I think that if Iga [Swiatek] had won against me, she would have won this final today,” she said.

Fans didn’t take kindly to Aryna Sabalenka’s comments and quickly voiced their frustration on X (formerly Twitter). One user wrote:

“And I'm trying to find the words to say why this is so disrespectful, but I feel like the quote speaks for itself.”

“Never seen a worse bitter loser,” another wrote.

One account posted:

“Can you imagine Carlitos or Sinner saying anything like this (same for Rafa or Roger)? Jesus! This Sabalenka woman is an insult to tennis!”

“Doesn’t even shock me, she’s such an unlikeable person. The whole speech during the trophy presentation was horrible. Saying she was playing great all tournament, then today only played horrible because of the conditions, and that Coco Gauff handled them better. Such a backhanded compliment to Gauff. Good to see her crying whilst saying such horrible shit,” one fan wrote.

Another posted:

“What a sore loser, she cries like a toddler every time she loses and blames it on the conditions or that her game was not there, on top of it all says Coco’s shots magically made it in.”

"That’s why Novax fam loves her, she’s just as pathetic as them,” one account tweeted.

Aryna Sabalenka congratulates Coco Gauff despite being heartbroken after French Open loss

Aryna Sabalenka hugs Coco Gauff at the 2025 French Open final | Image Source: Getty

Aryna Sabalenka had an emotional rollercoaster of a run at this year’s French Open and couldn’t hold back tears during her runner-up speech. It was her second defeat to Coco Gauff in a Grand Slam final, the first coming at the 2023 US Open.

Sabalenka admitted that the loss at Roland Garros broke her heart. She said she had only herself to blame, calling her performance “terrible.”

“Honestly, guys, this one hurts so much, especially after such a tough two weeks. Playing great tennis and then in these terrible conditions to show such terrible tennis in the final, that really hurts. But it’s ok,” she said.

The Belarusian then congratulated Coco Gauff, saying:

“Anyway, Coco, congrats. In these tough conditions, you were a better player than me. Well done on a great two weeks. Congrats on the second Grand Slam. Well-deserved, you’re a fighter, a hard worker, so congrats to you and your team.”