Coco Gauff and Aryna Sabalenka dance at Centre Court and post about it on TikTok and Instagram
LONDON (AP) — Just in case anyone might have wondered whether there was any lingering animosity between Coco Gauff and Aryna Sabalenka after their French Open final, the two tennis stars offered proof that all is well by dancing together at Wimbledon on Friday and posting videos on social media.
'TikTok dances always had a way of bringing people together,' Sabalenka wrote on her Instagram feed below a clip of the duo showing off their moves on the Centre Court grass to the strains of the 1990 hit 'Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)' by C+C Music Factory.
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Gauff, a frequent TikTok user, put up a video of the pair standing outside the main stadium at the All England Club and mouthing along to a track with the words: 'OK, guys, we're back. Did you miss us? 'Cause we missed you.'
Gauff wrote: 'the olive branch was extended and accepted! we're good so you guys should be too.'
The No. 1-ranked Sabalenka and the No. 2-ranked Gauff held a practice session together at Centre Court ahead of the year's third Grand Slam tournament, which begins on Monday.
Three weeks ago, Gauff beat Sabalenka 6-7 (5), 6-2, 6-4 in the championship match at the last major, the French Open. Afterward, Sabalenka drew criticism from some for saying Gauff 'won the match not because she played incredible; just because I made all of those mistakes from ... easy balls.'
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Later, Sabalenka called her comments 'unprofessional' and said she had written to Gauff to apologize.
Sabalenka, a 27-year-old from Belarus, is a three-time Grand Slam champion and was the runner-up both times Gauff, a 21-year-old American, won a major trophy, including at the 2023 U.S. Open.
At Wimbledon this year, they only could face each other in the July 12 final.
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Howard Fendrich has been the AP's tennis writer since 2002. Find his stories here: https://apnews.com/author/howard-fendrich. More AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
Howard Fendrich, The Associated Press
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