Updated 29 June 2025 at 17:53 IST
The French Open 2025 saw Coco Gauff cement herself as a future tennis superstar in the making as she defeated Aryna Sabalenka in the final of the women's singles event to clinch the second Grand Slam of her career. However, after the match, more people seemed to be talking about Sabalenka's statements after losing than they were about Gauff winning the title.
Sabalenka implied that Gauff winning the match was down to the fact that one too many unforced errors were made, with the Belarusian player saying she lost the match more than Gauff winning it.
Her lack of sportsmanship for the comments were almost universally slammed by tennis fans and even Gauff herself was left confused by them.
Now, speaking to reporters in London ahead of Wimbledon 2025, Gauff admitted she almost responded publicly to the comments but chose to be paceful and not 'fuel more hate'.
"It was very weird. I’m transparent. At first it was a little tempting just because the apology (from Sabalenka) did come a little bit later. I thought it was going to come pretty quick. There’s obviously temptation. But I didn’t want to fuel more hate," Gauff said.
It is also worth noting that Sabalenka has admitted that her remarks were uncalled for and apologised to Gauff both in public as well as in private.
Perhaps Sabalenka's poor start to the year, where she finished second in both the Australian and French Open despite being ranked atop the WTA rankings, had something to do with her frustration.
She will be keen to put an end to that run when she competes in the Wimbledon 2025 Grand Slam but there will be challenges in that department too.
Gauff will undoubtedly be in contention and it is tough to count out local favourite and Britain's top-ranked tennis player Emma Raducanu, who has remained inconsistent but has the capability to surprise.
Published 29 June 2025 at 17:53 IST