BERLIN – Alina Sabalenka says she wrote to Coco Gough to apologise for her “professional” comments she made after losing to an American rival in the French Open final.
Speaking to German Eurosport, top-ranked Sabalenka said her remarks were wrong after her 6-7 (5), 6-2, 6-4 defeat at Roland Garros this month. At a press conference in Paris, Sabalenka suggested that the results were more due to her own error than Gauff’s performance.
“It wasn’t my expert,” Sabalenka said. “I make my feelings better. I absolutely regret what I said back then. We all make mistakes. I’m still a person I’m learning in life. I think there are days when we all lose control.
Sabalenka hit 37 winners but finished the final with a strong error of 70, compared to Gauff’s 30.
She wrote to Goff to apologize and said, “Make sure you know she absolutely deserves to win the tournament.”
“I wasn’t going to attack her,” Sabalenka said. “I was very emotional and wasn’t very smart at that press conference. I’m not necessarily grateful for what I did. It took me a while to go back and think about it, open my eyes and approach it, and understand. I’ve made a lot of things about myself.
Three-time major champion Sabalenka also lost to Gouf in the 2023 US Open Finals and won the first set.
“I kept getting very emotional,” Sabalenka said. “So I’ve learned a lot. Above all, one thing: I’m always someone who deals with the enemy, whether they always respect him or not.