It Felt Like a Joke

By Richard Pagliaro | @Tennis_Now | Saturday, June 7, 2025

Picture credit score: Julien De Rosa/AFP/Getty

Tears trickled down her cheeks as an anguished Aryna Sabalenka tried to make sense of the emotional wreckage.

Within the first French Open ultimate between the world’s prime two girls in 12 years, No. 2 Coco Gauff was just too powerful for No. 1 Sabalenka at crunch time right now.

A resilient Coco Gauff combated Aryna Sabalenka’s fierce energy with pure poise pulling off a 6-7(5), 6-2, 6-4 comeback to seize her maiden Roland Garros championship in a thriller.

Afterward, the world’s greatest participant known as it her worst ultimate.

“It was actually actually the worst tennis I’ve performed within the final, I do not know, within the final I do not know what number of month,” Sabalenka instructed the media in Paris afterward. “Circumstances have been horrible, and he or she merely was higher in these situations than me. I believe it was the worst ultimate I ever performed.”

Contesting her third straight main ultimate, Sabalenka fell to 3-3 lifetime in Grand Slam title matches.

The 21-year-old Gauff improved to 6-5 lifetime vs. Sabalenka exhibiting she’s not petrified of the Belarusian’s energy and exuding a love of a superb battle relatively than fretting the battle when it will get tight.

After gutting out the opening set tiebreaker, Sabalenka spent a lot of this match preventing battles on a number of fronts.

The highest seed was making an attempt to tame her drives amid a tempestuous wind that generally gusted previous 25 mph, pierce the speedy Gauff’s vaunted protection and talent making her opponent play yet one more ball, and soothe the volcanic mood that erupted at instances as her dream dissolved within the grime.

Regardless of all that drama and self-sabotage, Sabalenka nonetheless fought again from 1-3 down within the decider and gained a break level within the ultimate recreation earlier than Gauff drew two ultimate errors to shut a someday sloppy, however persistently pulsating ultimate in two hours, 38 minutes.

The highest seed mentioned at instances she felt the tennis universe was enjoying a cosmic joke on her with Gauff’s working retrievals turning Sabalenka’s damaging drives into punch strains.

“I imply, actually generally it felt like she was hitting the ball from the body,” Sabalenka mentioned. “Someway magically the ball lands within the court docket, and also you sort of, like, on the again foot.

“It felt like a joke, actually, like any individual from above was simply staying there laughing, like, let’s examine should you can deal with this. And I could not right now.

“I actually hope the following time we play, if it may be the identical situations, I’ll play most likely a bit bit smarter, not over-rush issues, and yeah, attempt to keep there and attempt to battle.”

Many will slam Sabalenka for her post-match remarks, but it surely’s essential to use some perspective, too.

The adrenaline from this battle was nonetheless coursing by her veins when Sabalenka walked into her post-match presser. On reflection, she have been wiser to take a break to attempt to let feelings subside and clear her head earlier than assembly the media. It was Sabalenka’s second straight Slam ultimate loss to an underdog American opponent following Madison Keys’ epic Australian Open ultimate upset, which solely added to the anguish because the three-time Grand Slam champion may have been midway to a calendar Grand Slam. 

A brave Keys dethroned two-time defending champion Sabalenka 6-3, 2-6, 7-5 in an inspirational AO showdown pitting premier energy gamers that escalated into beautiful slugfest on Rod Laver Enviornment.

The Nineteenth-seeded Keys drilled a diagonal forehand winner closing the primary girls’s main ultimate to go to 5-all within the decider since Serena Williams edged Victoria Azarenka within the 2012 US Open ultimate.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWQ24XRtz0Q

So Sabalenka was favored within the final two main finals solely to fall frustratingly brief.

On the identical time, Sabalenka aspires to be an all-surface champion.

One purpose she has but to win a serious on clay or grass is these pure surfaces current variable and the girl who can create chaos for opponents hasn’t proven the talents to grasp unruly situations on slippery surfaces. That is what being an all-surface champion requires although so it’s important to confront the problem relatively than simply complain about it.

If Sabalenka ever opinions a replay of this match, she is going to see areas of enchancment tactically, emotionally and competitively. Gauff performed cleaner tennis amid chaotic situations, committing 40 fewer unforced errors and stamping seven love video games in comparison with two for Sabalenka.

When stress got here, Sabalenka tried to resolve it by squeezing pictures nearer to the strains—particularly on her down the road drives. As a substitute, she scattered 70 unforced errors.

You may’t fault Sabalenka for focusing on Gauff’s weaker forehand wing—it’s a typical tactic and the world is aware of the Delray Seaside-born baseliner possesses one of the vital damaging two-handed backhands within the recreation—however to serve practically completely to that forehand on the deuce court docket, the Belarusian principally performed Gauff right into a groove on that forehand return. She’s No. 2 on the planet should you’re telegraphing your serve to her all through the match, what do you assume will occur?

The US Open champion is a worthy world No. 1, however Gauff was clearly the extra composed competitor who met each disaster level as a problem she may resolve, whereas Sabalenka was grunting, screaming and generally wailing at her field trying a bit like a flustered contender fretting her time on the salmon stage relatively than the world’s premier participant.

This loss will sting for fairly a very long time.

A disconsolate Sabalenka mentioned she is going to deal with the ache with a panacea: Tequila and Gummy Bears. 

Hopefully for the Belarusian, bears and booze will chase the Grand Slam ghosts away.

“I have already got a flight booked to Mykonos and alcohol, sugar,” Sabalenka mentioned. “I simply want couple of days to fully neglect about this loopy world and this loopy—if I may swear, I might swear proper now, however this loopy factor that occurred right now…

“Tequila, gummy bears, and I do not know, swimming, being just like the vacationer for couple of days.”