Tennis-Sabalenka serves up apology to Gauff after French Open final comments

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(Reuters) -World number one Aryna Sabalenka said she has apologised to Coco Gauff after dismissing the American’s maiden French Open triumph, adding that she regrets the comments she made about the 21-year-old after the final.

Sabalenka had been poised for victory after claiming the opening set in a tiebreak, only to watch Gauff orchestrate a stunning 6-7(5) 6-2 6-4 comeback to claim her second Grand Slam title.

Sabalenka made 70 unforced errors in the final and later said at a press conference that Gauff won “not because she played incredible, (but) because I made all of those mistakes” — comments she has since regretted making.

“It was just totally unprofessional of me, I let my emotions get the better of me. I absolutely regret what I said back then,” Sabalenka told Eurosport.

“We all make mistakes. I’m only human and I’m still learning in life. We all have those days when we lose control.

“The difference with me is that the world watches me do it, I get a lot more hate afterwards for what I did than other people.”

Sabalenka said she had reached out to Gauff personally afterwards to apologise.

“I wanted to apologise and make sure that she knows that she absolutely deserved to win the tournament and that I respect her. I never intended to attack her,” Sabalenka added.

“I was super emotional and not very smart at that press conference. I’m not necessarily grateful for what I did.

“It took me a while to look at it again, to go into it with my eyes open and to understand. I realised a lot about myself.”

Having lost two Grand Slam finals this year, Sabalenka will now turn her attention to the grasscourt swing, warming up for Wimbledon by playing at the Berlin Open this week.

(Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru;Editing by Christian Radnedge)