"It's ancient history," Gauff wants to move on after Sabalenka's apology
Coco Gauff won Roland-Garros on June 7. The world No. 2, just like in the 2023 US Open final against the same opponent, found the resources to turn the match around and defeat Aryna Sabalenka (6-7, 6-2, 6-4) in a rollercoaster encounter.
After the match, the Belarusian had made remarks deemed disrespectful toward the American, before the current WTA rankings leader ultimately apologized. In fact, Sabalenka personally wrote to Gauff in recent days to apologize.
The latter, present at a press conference in Berlin ahead of her debut in the German capital this Thursday against Wang Xinyu, addressed the situation. Now, the 21-year-old player wants to move on, as she explained to Eurosport in recent hours.
"Aryna (Sabalenka) wrote to me two or three days ago. The final was over a week ago now, I consider it ancient history. I can understand emotions running high.
I’m glad she reached out to me because I was a bit surprised by all of it. But it’s in the past now, and we should all look ahead," Gauff simply stated.
French Open
Berlin
As a laboratory for tomorrow’s tennis, does the Next Gen Masters have a future?
Tennis: the little-known truths about the offseason, between rest, stress and physical survival
What if tennis lost its soul? The case of robotized officiating, between tradition and a dehumanized modernity
Features - Saudi Arabia, injuries, war, and business: the fascinating underbelly of tennis revealed by TennisTemple