Sabalenka ‘learnt a lot' from reaction to losing French Open final
PA Media/DPA
London
World number one Aryna Sabalenka has been able to clear the air with Coco Gauff after her emotional reaction to losing the French Open final to the American earlier this month.
The Belarusian was heavily criticised after attributing the defeat to her own mistakes rather than Gauff's performance, and apologised both privately and publicly for describing the match as the worst final she had played.
The two players looked to have put those hostilities firmly behind them in social media clips posted from Wimbledon on Friday, and Sabalenka was contrite in accepting the negative response her comments prompted.
She said: 'I've always been really good with Coco. Honestly, as I said in the statement and I messaged to her, I didn't really want to offend her.
'I was just completely upset with myself, and emotions got over me. I just completely lost it.
'I did what I did. I get what I deserve, I believe. It was a tough time for me. The lesson is learned.
'Honestly, I'm kind of glad what happened to me at Paris, because I was able to learn a lot.
'I was able to sit back and be open to myself, not just to ignore some things. I think I realised a lot of things about myself in those last stages of the tournament.
'We spoke with the team. I think we learned something. I really hope it will never happen again.' Sabalenka, who is up against Canadian Carson Branstine in the first round, has no qualms about facing Gauff again should the two end up involved in a rematch in the Wimbledon final.
'If I make it to the finals, I don't care (who I play), but also I would love to face Coco,' she said.
'If she's going to be there, I'm happy because I want to get the revenge!'.
Sabalenka has been limbering up for the tournament by having a hit with both Novak Djokovic and Jannik Sinner, with the former happy to offer advice drawn from his vast experience.
She said: 'Novak is the best. First of all, I was able to hit with him, which not every guy would be able to do. Then you can chat with him, he will give his honest advice.
'It's amazing to hear opinions of such a legend. We were just chatting about stuff that I'm struggling with a little bit. I'm really thankful for the advice he gave me.
'It was a 30-minute chat. If you give opportunity to Novak to talk, he's not going to stop! I wish I could stay there for four hours and just keep chatting, but we all have our schedule.
'Honestly, I hit with Jannik for like, I don't know, 10 minutes - I was exhausted! 'An hour with Novak.now I'm recovered. I needed a day of recovery but it was a great experience. When you see someone like Jannik or Novak, you learn from them. You reflect what they do on court. It was great for me.'
Gauff intends to shelve memories of her French Open triumph for the time being to focus on the tournament.
She said: 'I'm very much someone who can look ahead very quickly. The first two days after I was just trying to really take it in.
'I'd rather just stay in the moment and think about this and kind of forget the French (Open), then revisit it maybe at the end of the season and celebrate it a little bit more.
'I've lost in the fourth round a few times, so I would love to get past that stage. I would say that's the next thing I'm looking forward to.
'I would love to win this, but I'm a big believer in just conquering one step at a time. If I get past that stage, then I'll start thinking about the winning.'
Of the apology she received from Sabalenka after her post-French Open remarks, Gauff added: 'It was just water under the bridge. I know Aryna.
'I felt like before that we got along pretty well anyways before all that happened. It wasn't very hard to accept that apology.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Qatar Tribune
14 hours ago
- Qatar Tribune
Fernandez ‘will be even better' next season insists Chelsea boss Maresca
PA Media/dpa London Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca expects Enzo Fernandez to get even better as he prepares for a reunion with his former club Benfica. The Argentina midfielder, signed from the Portuguese giants for a then British record £106.8million two years ago, took time to find his feet at Stamford Bridge. But he excelled in the second half of the 2024-25 season, finishing the campaign with eight goals, and has continued to shine at the Club World Cup. The 24-year-old scored in the opening win over Los Angeles FC and created two goals in as many minutes as the Blues beat Esperance Tunis 3-0 in their final group game on Tuesday. Their reward is a last-16 clash with Benfica in Charlotte on Saturday. Maresca told reporters at his pre-match press conference: 'I'm very pleased with Enzo, especially because, first of all, he's a nice boy. He's polite, he's a good boy. 'Then he's worked very well in all aspects inside the pitch, outside the pitch. Our struggle at the beginning was (for him) to understand the way we want to play. 'But he is doing fantastic in terms of numbers, goal assists. This is what we want from our attacking players. 'I've said many times that I prefer to have the attacking players score 10-12 goal each, rather than just a striker with 40 goals. 'So his contribution this season has been top and I am sure next season will be even better.' Despite that, Fernandez could face competition for his place after Maresca suggested he sees Brazilian Andrey Santos more as an attacking player than a defensive one. The highly-rated 21-year-old has rejoined the club this summer after a successful loan spell at Strasbourg and made his debut as a second-half substitute against Esperance. Maresca said: 'His season has been very good but I think you need time to adapt. 'In terms of position, I see Andrey in this moment in more like Enzo's position than Romeo's (Lavia) position. 'The Premier League demands (players) to be physically strong. In this moment, I see Andrey more of an attacking player than defensive in the field.' Maresca added that he hopes 19-year-old defender Josh Acheampong will stay with the club despite being linked with Newcastle and Borussia Dortmund. He said: 'My idea or my plan with Josh is quite clear. I think he potentially can be a top defender for this club. I feel the best plan for Josh is to be with us.' Maresca would also like England international Trevoh Chalobah to stay, but offered no guarantees. He said: 'All the players that are here with us, I don't want to lose them but when the transfer window is open, unfortunately, anything can happen - not only for Trevoh, for (all) the 25 players of the squad.' Maresca expects a tight contest against Benfica. He said: 'It's going to be a balanced game, a tough game. In this kind of game the small details are very important.'
Qatar Tribune
14 hours ago
- Qatar Tribune
Sabalenka ‘learnt a lot' from reaction to losing French Open final
PA Media/DPA London World number one Aryna Sabalenka has been able to clear the air with Coco Gauff after her emotional reaction to losing the French Open final to the American earlier this month. The Belarusian was heavily criticised after attributing the defeat to her own mistakes rather than Gauff's performance, and apologised both privately and publicly for describing the match as the worst final she had played. The two players looked to have put those hostilities firmly behind them in social media clips posted from Wimbledon on Friday, and Sabalenka was contrite in accepting the negative response her comments prompted. She said: 'I've always been really good with Coco. Honestly, as I said in the statement and I messaged to her, I didn't really want to offend her. 'I was just completely upset with myself, and emotions got over me. I just completely lost it. 'I did what I did. I get what I deserve, I believe. It was a tough time for me. The lesson is learned. 'Honestly, I'm kind of glad what happened to me at Paris, because I was able to learn a lot. 'I was able to sit back and be open to myself, not just to ignore some things. I think I realised a lot of things about myself in those last stages of the tournament. 'We spoke with the team. I think we learned something. I really hope it will never happen again.' Sabalenka, who is up against Canadian Carson Branstine in the first round, has no qualms about facing Gauff again should the two end up involved in a rematch in the Wimbledon final. 'If I make it to the finals, I don't care (who I play), but also I would love to face Coco,' she said. 'If she's going to be there, I'm happy because I want to get the revenge!'. Sabalenka has been limbering up for the tournament by having a hit with both Novak Djokovic and Jannik Sinner, with the former happy to offer advice drawn from his vast experience. She said: 'Novak is the best. First of all, I was able to hit with him, which not every guy would be able to do. Then you can chat with him, he will give his honest advice. 'It's amazing to hear opinions of such a legend. We were just chatting about stuff that I'm struggling with a little bit. I'm really thankful for the advice he gave me. 'It was a 30-minute chat. If you give opportunity to Novak to talk, he's not going to stop! I wish I could stay there for four hours and just keep chatting, but we all have our schedule. 'Honestly, I hit with Jannik for like, I don't know, 10 minutes - I was exhausted! 'An hour with I'm recovered. I needed a day of recovery but it was a great experience. When you see someone like Jannik or Novak, you learn from them. You reflect what they do on court. It was great for me.' Gauff intends to shelve memories of her French Open triumph for the time being to focus on the tournament. She said: 'I'm very much someone who can look ahead very quickly. The first two days after I was just trying to really take it in. 'I'd rather just stay in the moment and think about this and kind of forget the French (Open), then revisit it maybe at the end of the season and celebrate it a little bit more. 'I've lost in the fourth round a few times, so I would love to get past that stage. I would say that's the next thing I'm looking forward to. 'I would love to win this, but I'm a big believer in just conquering one step at a time. If I get past that stage, then I'll start thinking about the winning.' Of the apology she received from Sabalenka after her post-French Open remarks, Gauff added: 'It was just water under the bridge. I know Aryna. 'I felt like before that we got along pretty well anyways before all that happened. It wasn't very hard to accept that apology.'
Qatar Tribune
14 hours ago
- Qatar Tribune
The real competition starts now: Enrique prepared for KO phase
PA Media/dpa London Paris Saint-Germain boss Luis Enrique feels the real tests at the Club World Cup will now kick in as the European champions prepare to face Lionel Messi's Inter Miami for a place in the quarter-finals. After opening the tournament with a 4-0 win over Atletico Madrid, Enrique's side slumped to a shock 1-0 defeat against Botafogo. PSG, though, made sure there would be no early flight back to France with a 2-0 victory over Seattle Sounders to go through as Group B winners on goal difference. Inter Miami had also looked set to top their group - and go into the other half of the draw - before Palmeiras fought back with two late goals to draw 2-2 at Hard Rock Stadium, handing Messi a reunion with his former club. Enrique knows there are now no more second chances if PSG want to make an impact in the knockout stage. 'We plan to go as far as possible and I believe the players are ready,' Enrique said after the win over Seattle. 'The real competition starts now and it will be very tough. After each match, we have to see if we qualify or not, so we are motivated.' PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma maintains the players are fully focused on adding another trophy to their season haul. 'I hope we keep winning more matches and that we will reach the final together, all united,' the Italian said. 'It is very important for us and the club to go all the way.' Messi left Paris in the summer of 2023 to start a fresh challenge in Major League Soccer. While the Argentina World Cup winner, who turned 38 earlier this week, has little left to prove, Inter Miami manager Javier Mascherano hopes Messi might just have a bit of extra motivation when he faces his former employers in Atlanta on Sunday. 'It is clear that for us it is better if he plays angry, because he is one of those players who, when he has something on his mind, gives an extra effort,' Mascherano told ESPN SportsCenter. 'But I think that is already in the past. It is a different story now and since the game is here in the United States, I don't think the atmosphere will be the same. 'What we will try to do is play a great game because to have any chance we need to have a perfect match. One mistake and PSG will punish us, but we will go for it.'
