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World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka made some unfavorable comments against Coco Gauff after she lost to her in the final of the French Open 2025. She has been raked over the coals for the same since then, and Stephen A. Smith was the latest celebrity to dunk on her.
Emma Raducanu was far from pleased with Zheng Qinwen, who repeatedly halted the proceedings during their quarterfinal showdown at Queen's Club. Fans weren't impressed with Novak Djokovic labelling himself as the "unwanted child" in his rivalry with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.
Alexander Zverev was called out for his refusal to heed the advice of his well-wishers, while Serena Williams' fans felt she was never given the same grace for her mistakes in light of Jimmy Connors defending Sabalenka. Here's a quick recap of the controversies stirred up over the past week:
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#1. Aryna Sabalenka's comments against Coco Gauff continue to haunt her
Aryna Sabalenka suffered a heartbreaking loss to Coco Gauff in the final of the French Open 2025. The latter overcame a one-set deficit to claim her second Major title. Following the loss, the World No. 1 didn't give her younger rival her due credit, being dismissive of her in her remarks after the match.
Sabalenka has continuously faced flak for her comments since then. Noted sports personality Stephen A. Smith was the latest to chasitse her during his interview with Gauff on ESPN, calling the Belarusian a "sore loser".
"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'm bringing her up because even though she was 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. But I'm asking, what is her problem? I mean, somebody got to ask this question. She came across as a very sore loser," Smith said.
Gauff's victory has been overshadowed by Sabalenka's negative comments. Both of them will be in action for the first time since the French Open at this week's Berlin Tennis Open.
#2. Novak Djokovic's claims of being an "unwanted child" in his rivalry with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal downplayed by fans
Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal's duopoly was interrupted by the arrival and eventual ascendance of Novak Djokovic. Despite the Serb's accomplishments, he felt that he never received enough appreciation from the public and was the third wheel in their rivalry.
Djokovic elaborated on the same during his recent interview on "Failures of Champions". He felt like an unwanted child during the initial days of his career. He thought things would change if he behaved differently but that didn't turn out to be the case and he still feels the same way to an extent.
"I acted and still felt like an unwanted child. I asked myself why that was. It hurt me. Then I thought the fans would accept me if I acted differently. But that wasn't the case either," Djokovic said.
Fans didn't take too kindly to Djokovic's "woe is me" routine and blamed his ego and personality for the lack of support from the public. The 24-time Major champion is currently taking a break after his French Open campaign, and will return to action at Wimbledon.
#3. Zheng Qinwen's mid-match breaks leaves Emma Raducanu frustrated
Emma Raducanu recently lost to Zheng Qinwen 6-2, 6-4 in the quarterfinals of the HSBC Championships at Queen's Club. While the Brit was outplayed in the first set, she led by a break in the second set before surrendering her advantage.
Raducanu's momentum was interrupted by Zheng's repeated stalling, who stopped the play from time to time to switch rackets and shoes. She appeared frustrated with the same when she was asked about it during her post-match conference. Despite being inconvenienced by her opponent's antics, she ultimately felt that while the situation wasn't ideal, it was out of her hands as well.
"I'm not sure what I can do in those moments, to be honest. I think, you know, it happened three times on my service game. I don't think it's necessarily, you know, ideal, let's say. But I think, you know, the umpire makes his call. I can't really do anything about it," Raducanu said.
"Maybe, you know, I think like the fact it happened three times on my serve, I feel like maybe something could have been done, but I'm not going to get into it," she added.
Raducanu was supposed to compete in Berlin this week but pulled out of the tournament due to a back injury. She was bothered by the same during her loss to Zheng. She's still expected to compete in Eastbourne next week.
#4. Jimmy Connors' defense of Aryna Sabalenka irks Serena Williams' fans
Jimmy Connors defended Aryna Sabalenka from the backlash following her comments against Coco Gauff on his podcast. He felt that after losing a big match, players should be given some time to gather their thoughts.
"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," Connors said.
Fans of Serena Williams were quick to point out that she never received such grace. The 23-time Major champion was called out for the smallest of infractions, and fans were disappointed at the discrepancy at how was treated back then compared to her peers.
#5. Fans call out Alexander Zverev for brushing off Boris Becker's constructive criticism
Alexander Zverev's compatriots, retired pros Boris Becker and Barbara Rittner, had some words of advice for him in the wake of his quarterfinal loss to Novak Djokovic at the French Open. Becker felt that a coaching change could do him good, while Rittner found him blaming the conditions in Paris for his loss to be a lame excuse.
"At some point, you need new sounds and a new environment. It's the same in football; coaches don't usually stay with a club for ten years. His father and brother did an excellent job, but it wasn't good enough for the final step. Father wants him to play a lot, brother wants him to play every week, but the 28-year-old Zverev no longer wants to play every week," Becker said.
"He explains it (loss to Djokovic in the quarterfinals of the 2025 French Open) by saying it was 20 degrees Celsius in the first set, the game was faster, and he was able to pull his forehand more. But in sets two, three and four, there was no drop in temperature. He can't tell me that," Rittner said.
Zverev found their comments to be unnecessary and was especially rude towards Rittner.
"When things are going well for me, I always do everything right; when things are going badly for me, someone is always acting very, very clever. Unfortunately, Boris is one of them. Barbara Rittner is also one of them, who, for some reason, has such a strong opinion about my career. She never played tennis at that level. Firstly, I don't take her opinion seriously, and secondly, in my opinion, she has the wrong opinion," Zverev said.
Zverev was slammed by fans for refusing to consider what his compatriots were saying. Ultimately, they felt that if Roger Federer's words, who called out his passive style of play, didn't matter to him, then nothing else will.
