Aryna apologizes for final remark
Belarusian tennis player Aryna Sabalenka, the world's number one, apologized on Tuesday for a statement she made at the press conference following her loss to American Coco Gauff in the Roland Garros final. Speaking to Eurosport, the 27-year-old said on the eve of her participation in the Berlin ATP 500 tournament: "It was unprofessional of me. I let my emotions run wild. I deeply regret what I said at that moment. We all make mistakes. I wrote to Coco afterward, not immediately, but briefly. I wanted to apologize and make sure she knew she deserved to win the tournament and that I respect her. I never intended to attack her. I was very emotional and unintelligent during that press conference." After losing to Coco in three sets, 7-6 (7-5), 2-6, 4-6, in the second Grand Slam final on June 7, Arina criticized the level of play, arguing that if Poland's Iga Swiatek had beaten her in the semifinals, the four-time Paris champion would have won the final against the American. She added, "I think she won the match, not because she played great, but because I made too many mistakes." Coco responded in her press conference moments later, "I don't agree," reminding everyone that she had beaten Iga in the semifinals of the Madrid ATP 1000 earlier in the clay-court season. The 21-year-old American continued, "Looking at Arina's performance in recent weeks, she was the favorite. From a purely statistical perspective, and because she's the world number one, I think she's the toughest opponent to face. Iga is the defending champion, so whoever my opponent is, it was going to be a tough match." A three-time Grand Slam champion (Australia 2023 and 2024, and US Flushing Meadows 2024), Arina begins her grass-court season in Berlin on Wednesday with a round of 16 match against Swiss qualifier Rebecca Masarova, who defeated American Sofia Kenin in the first round.