Coco Gauff publicly states what she wants tennis fans to do with Aryna Sabalenka after her French Open final comments
Coco Gauff Urges Fans to Show Grace to Aryna Sabalenka After French Open 2025 Controversy
Coco Gauff, the 21-year-old American tennis star, publicly called for fans to give Aryna Sabalenka “the benefit of the doubt” following the world No. 1’s controversial comments after their French Open 2025 final on June 7, 2025, per www.thetennisgazette.com. After defeating Sabalenka 6-7(5), 6-2, 6-4 to claim her first Roland Garros title and second Grand Slam, Gauff faced a storm of criticism directed at Sabalenka, who suggested in her post-match press conference that Gauff’s win was due to her own 70 unforced errors rather than Gauff’s skill, stating, “She won the match not because she played incredible, but because I made all those easy ball errors,” and claimed Iga Swiatek would have beaten Gauff in a hypothetical final, per www.sportskeeda.com.[](https://www.thetennisgazette.com/news/coco-gauff-publicly-states-what-she-wants-tennis-fans-to-do-with-aryna-sabalenka-after-her-french-open-final-comments/)
Speaking to ESPN on June 8, Gauff addressed Sabalenka’s remarks with characteristic poise, urging fans to ease up on the Belarusian. “I was a little bit surprised by them, but at the end of the day, what happened happened… I’m sure it was an emotional day, emotional match,” she said, adding, “I wanted that matchup… I played the best player in the world, and I beat her,” per www.thetennisgazette.com. Gauff’s plea for leniency reflected her maturity, as she acknowledged the emotional toll of the loss on Sabalenka, who issued an Instagram Stories apology on June 8, writing, “Coco handled the conditions much better than I did and fully deserved the win… Respect,” per www.today.com.[](https://www.thetennisgazette.com/news/coco-gauff-publicly-states-what-she-wants-tennis-fans-to-do-with-aryna-sabalenka-after-her-french-open-final-comments/)[](https://www.today.com/news/sports/aryna-sabalenka-coco-gauff-french-open-backlash-rcna211730)
Gauff’s call for compassion was echoed on *Good Morning America* on June 9, where she reiterated, “I’m gonna give her the benefit of the doubt,” emphasizing that both players faced challenging windy conditions, per abcnews.go.com. Fans on X, like @CocoGauffFC, praised Gauff’s class, while @TshepoL_ criticized Sabalenka’s initial “disrespectful” tone, per www.theroot.com. Gauff’s response has solidified her reputation as a gracious champion, urging fans to move past the controversy as she prepares for Wimbledon (June 30-July 13), per www.wtatennis.com.
