World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka is aiming to turn her emotional outburst following her French Open final defeat into a learning moment as she prepares for Wimbledon 2025. The Belarusian tennis star, who lost to Coco Gauff after leading by a set, had called it “the worst final I’ve ever played,” drawing criticism for overshadowing Gauff’s second Grand Slam triumph.
Speaking at a pre-Wimbledon press conference on Saturday, Sabalenka acknowledged her emotional volatility in high-pressure matches and expressed a desire to improve her mental composure.
“I was just completely, like, upset with myself, and emotions got over me. I just completely lost it,” she said.
“I believe I get overemotional at the last stages of the tournaments because I have this desire of winning. Sometimes it eats me and I can lose control over my emotions. So I would love to improve that at the last stages of the tournament.”
Sabalenka said she has used the experience in Paris as an opportunity for personal reflection.
“Honestly I’m kind of glad what happened to me at Paris because I was able to learn a lot. I was able to sit back and be open to myself, not just ignore some things. I think I realised a lot of things about myself in those last stages of the tournaments.”
After her controversial post-match remarks, Sabalenka later apologised to Gauff, and the two athletes appeared to put the matter behind them by sharing a light-hearted dance video on the Wimbledon lawns, which went viral on social media.
“Of course, she got my respect. She knows it,” Sabalenka added.
“I’m happy that she was, like, ‘yeah, it’s all good, don’t worry’. As you saw the video, I was talking, we are good, we are friends. I hope the US media can be easy on me right now.”
Looking ahead to Wimbledon, Sabalenka — who has never gone past the semi-final stage at the tournament — will begin her campaign against Canadian qualifier Carson Branstine. While she admitted to knowing little about her opponent, she was quick to compliment her appearance.
“The other day I opened social media, and she was giving interview. I think she just qualified. I was like, ‘Oh my God, this girl is so beautiful!’”
“Then I opened the draw, and I see I’m playing the Canadian girl. I open her profile, and I’m like, ‘Oh, this is the beautiful girl’. That’s all I know so far.”
Sabalenka will be looking to channel her competitive energy into performance as she kicks off her Wimbledon journey in search of her fourth Grand Slam title.