“I have been told clay is not my thing” – Aryna Sabalenka gets honest about her detractors as she contemplates winning French Open final
Aryna Sabalenka Addresses Clay Court Doubts Ahead of French Open 2025 Final
World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, poised to face Coco Gauff in the French Open 2025 final on June 7, opened up about overcoming long-standing doubts about her clay-court prowess after her 7-6(1), 4-6, 6-0 semi-final victory over Iga Swiatek. In her post-match press conference, reported by The Athletic and The Sun Daily, Sabalenka addressed detractors who claimed clay was not her surface, stating, “It’s going to mean everything to me and my team, because I have to say that almost like my whole life I’ve been told that clay is not my thing and then I didn’t have any confidence.” Her emphatic performance, including a third-set bagel against the four-time champion Swiatek, silenced those critics and marked her first Roland Garros final.
Sabalenka’s journey to the final reflects her mental and technical evolution on clay. Previously, her three Grand Slam titles (2023 and 2024 Australian Opens, 2024 US Open) came on hard courts, and setbacks like a 2023 semi-final loss to Karolina Muchova and a 2024 quarter-final defeat to Mirra Andreeva, hampered by illness, fueled skepticism about her clay game. However, her 2025 season, with titles in Madrid and a 40-6 record, showcased her growing versatility, incorporating drop shots and defensive play, as noted by The Guardian. “I’ve improved physically and added variety to my shots,” she said, per The Athletic. Posts on X, like @TheTennisLetter, echoed her sentiment: “It would mean the world” to win a non-hardcourt Slam.
Facing Gauff, with whom she has a 5-5 head-to-head, Sabalenka acknowledged the challenge, telling WTA Tennis, “Coco’s aggressive, and I need to stay focused to counter her.” A victory would earn her €2,550,000 and make her the only active player with titles at three different Grand Slams. Sabalenka’s confidence, bolstered by a Madrid title and a 17-4 clay record in 2025, counters past doubts, positioning her to potentially claim the Coupe Suzanne Lenglen and cement her clay-court legacy.
