Coco Gauff fires back at Sabalenka over Swiatek comment following Roland Garros triumph

Fresh off her French Open victory, Coco Gauff responded sharply to Aryna Sabalenka's remarks about the final outcome. Sabalenka, who finished as runner-up, had implied that Iga Swiatek would have emerged victorious in the Roland Garros final if she hadn't been knocked out during the semi-finals.

Gauff demonstrated remarkable resilience as she overcame a first-set deficit to secure victory against Aryna Sabalenka with scores of 6-7(5), 6-2, 6-4. This victory marked her maiden French Open championship and second major title, following her success at the 2023 US Open.

With the win, Gauff achieved a historic milestone as she became the first female player from the United States to secure a Roland Garros title since Serena Williams' victory in 2015. In the lead-up matches, Gauff displayed dominance against French wildcard Lois Boisson in the semi-final, while Sabalenka emerged victorious in an intense contest against world No. 5 Swiatek.

"That hurts. Especially when I've been playing really great tennis during the whole week. A lot of tough opponents - Iga. I think if Iga would have beaten me, she would go out today and she would get the win," Sabalenka, who made 70 unforced errors, said at the post-match conference while overshadowing Gauff's triumph.

Reacting to the comment, Gauff responded diplomatically yet decisively, pointing to her recent victory against Swiatek in straight sets during their clay court match at the Madrid Open.

"I mean, I don't agree with that. I'm sitting here with the trophy," Gauff said.

"No shade to Iga or anything, but I played her and I won in straight sets in Madrid. I don't think that's a fair thing to say, because anything can happen," Gauff added.

Gauff went on say that she had psychologically readied herself to confront any of them in the championship match.

"To be honest, if you'd asked me who I wanted to play, it was Iga - just because I felt Aryna was playing so well. But regardless of who I faced, I believed I had a good chance to win. I definitely had that belief."