PARIS — Whereas Coco Gauff was taking selfies on Court docket Philippe-Chatrier to rejoice her triumph on the Parisian clay, her opponent on the opposite facet of the umpire’s chair was stuffed with anger and disappointment.
As Roland-Garros officers ready the courtroom for the trophy ceremony, Aryna Sabalenka sat together with her gaze misplaced within the distance earlier than she took a towel and coated her face. And when it lastly got here time to talk, Sabalenka was silent for an extended second, as if on the verge of tears.
The evaluation of her personal efficiency, when she lastly took the microphone to handle the Roland-Garros crowd, was ruthless.
“Truthfully guys, this one hurts a lot,” she stated. “To point out such horrible tennis within the closing does actually harm.”
The highest-ranked Sabalenka received the primary set as her high-risk method introduced dividends initially. However as soon as Gauff discovered her stride, the Belarusian’s errors grew to become increasingly frequent and she or he misplaced the match between the world’s two highest-ranked gamers 6-7 (5), 6-2, 6-4.
Sabalenka hit 37 winners however completed the match with a staggering 70 unforced errors — in comparison with Gauff’s 30. Sabalenka additionally dropped her serve 9 instances.
“I feel I used to be overemotional,” she stated. “I didn’t actually deal with myself fairly effectively mentally, I might say. So mainly that’s it. I used to be simply making unforced errors. I feel she received the match not as a result of she performed unimaginable; simply because I made all of these errors from — like, when you look from the surface, type of like from straightforward balls.”
The frustration was even higher provided that Sabalenka has labored laborious to adapt her recreation to the gradual floor over time, and after she ended Iga Swiatek’s 26-match unbeaten streak on the French Open within the semifinals.
“You’ve been enjoying in opposition to loads of robust opponents, Olympic champion, Iga, and then you definately exit, and also you play actually dangerous,” she stated throughout her post-match interview. “It was actually the worst tennis I’ve performed within the final, I don’t know what number of months.”
Sabalenka additionally complained in regards to the climate circumstances. The retractable roof over the centre courtroom remained open in the course of the closing, and Sabalenka was visibly irritated by bursts of wind sweeping throughout the courtroom.
“Situations had been horrible,” the three-time main champion stated. “When she would hit the ball, sooner or later the wind would simply let the ball fly like loopy, and , I used to be late each time.”
This was the second main closing Sabalenka misplaced to Gauff, after the 2023 U.S. Open, the place she additionally received the primary set. Sabalenka had received their most up-to-date assembly on clay this yr in Madrid and thought she had the weapons to beat the American on the most important stage.
“It’s one other robust Grand Slam closing in opposition to Coco,” Sabalenka stated. “One other horrible efficiency from me in opposition to Coco within the closing. I’ve to step again, have a look at this from a perspective, and attempt to lastly be taught the lesson, as a result of I can’t go on the market each time in opposition to her in Grand Slam finals and play such horrible tennis and provides these wins, not simply, however emotionally.”
