Aryna Sabalenka suggests people should have more understanding when a player makes certain comments after a loss, simply because the players usually don't have much time to process everything before appearing in front of the media.
If you can recall, the Belarusian tennis star blamed her 70 unforced errors on a French Open final loss and said that Coco Gauff "did not play incredibly." As soon as those remarks were made, they went viral and the three-time Grand Slam champion faced some major criticism and backlash.
Later, Sabalenka publicly apologized to Gauff through Instagram and during a Berlin press conference.
People dont understand the intensity of everything. You lose the final of the biggest tournament and you go to media straight away and you are so pissed off with yourself. You dont think clearly & then you make the comment," the world No. 1 said in Cincinnati.
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Gauff accepted Sabalenka's apology
When Sabalenka and Gauff arrived at Wimbledon, they were spotted together. To no one's surprise, the American world No. 2 was asked where she stood with the Belarusian after the French Open presser controversy. The 21-year-old proceeded to confirm that the two discussed the incident privately and that there were no hard feelings on her side.
"I understood what she was trying to say. It was a terrible conditioned day. I don't think I was playing well either, so I understood where she was coming from. Some of the stuff she said in the presser I was a bit more surprised about. I'm not someone to hold a grudge, and when I was talking to my circle about it, I was like 'If she apologizes, I will be fine and we'll move on,'" Gauff said at the time.
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Meanwhile, Sabalenka and Gauff are the two top-seeded players at the Cincinnati Open and they could possibly meet in the final.
