Aryna Sabalenka opens up on what Coco Gauff is like off the court after their French Open final

Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff might add another chapter to their rivalry at Roland Garros, less than a year after meeting in the French Open final.

Gauff won that match 6-7(5-7), 6-2, 6-4, securing her second career Grand Slam title. It was her second win over Sabalenka in a major final, having also beaten her at the 2023 US Open.

But Sabalenka still holds a narrow head-to-head lead overall. The pair have played 13 times in total, with the Belarusian winning seven of those matches to Gauff’s six.

Speaking before this year’s tournament, Sabalenka reflected on their recent interactions, including a light-hearted TikTok they filmed together during Wimbledon following their intense final in Paris.

Aryna Sabalenka: “Coco is one of those girls who understands everything”

Sabalenka told Vogue: “When I got to Wimbledon last year, my first press conference was packed like crazy.

“I was like, ‘Wow, guys, are you expecting more of the French Open?’ But then we did the TikTok video.

“Coco is one of those girls who understands everything. She never gets upset or offended. If you say you’re sorry, she’s like, ‘Oh, girl, it’s okay. You’re good’.

“No one will understand you better than another athlete. I feel like all of us think, ‘Okay, I should win every match’. If you’re not thinking that way, then what are you doing?

“When you’re in the top five and you’re winning Grand Slams, it’s not okay to be okay with losing. That’s my mentality.”

Aryna Sabalenka relishes variety in WTA title winners

It’s hard to argue with the results of that mindset. Sabalenka is a four-time Grand Slam winner and currently sits atop the world rankings.

When asked whether she tends to dwell on defeats or prefers to move on quickly, Sabalenka explained: “It’s a learning process.”

“If I didn’t really care and was like, Whatever, on to the next one, I wouldn’t learn. That would be unhealthy.

“That’s the tough side of being an athlete: You cannot win everything. Your body will, at some point, stop you, limit you. But it’s also the beauty of sport.

Elina Svitolina recently picked up her first two titles since returning from maternity leave with back-to-back wins in Strasbourg and Rome – beating Aryna Sabalenka in both finals.

Sabalenka has started 2026 even stronger though and entered Roland Garros off the back of a fourth-round run in Madrid before falling short against Svitolina again.

The Belarusian then took down Mirra Andreeva in three sets after beating Emma Navarro in Rome.

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