SABALENKA OFFERS HEARTFELT APOLOGY TO GAUFF: 'COMPLETELY UNPROFESSIONAL OF ME'

An inconsolable Aryna Sabalenka stands beside newly crowned Roland-Garros champion Coco Gauff. (Getty/Julian Finney)

Aryna Sabalenka has used her short break to reflect and apologise to Coco Gauff after a controversial post-match press conference left the tennis world stunned.

Both players featured in the Roland-Garros decider as the top-two seeds, but despite Sabalenka favoured before a ball was hit, it was Gauff who overturned a one-set deficit to claim her second Slam title.

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There were tears on stage from Sabalenka during the trophy presentation, as the defeat marked her second consecutive Grand Slam where she fell short at the final hurdle.

But her comments in the post-match press conference turned heads, opting to blame the conditions multiple times and sharing her opinion that Iga Świątek would’ve beaten Gauff in the final.

"I was just making unforced errors. I think she won the match not because she played incredible; just because I made all of those mistakes. If you look from the outside, kind of like from easy balls," Sabalenka said.

Now in Berlin for the Grass Court Chanpionships in preparation for Wimbledon, the 27-year-old shared her remorse to Eurosport Germany.

"That was just completely unprofessional of me," the world No.1 admitted. "I let my emotions get the better of me. I absolutely regret what I said back then.

"We all make mistakes. I'm just a human being who's still learning in life. I think we all have those days when we lose control. But what I also want to say is that I wrote to Coco afterward — not immediately, but recently."

Sabalenka made an uncharacteristic 70 unforced errors against Gauff, contributing to her meltdown.

"I never intended to attack her," Sabalenka said. "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 go back and think about it, to approach it with open eyes, and to understand. I realised a lot about myself. Why did I lose so many finals?"

"I kept getting so emotional, so I learned a lot. Above all, one thing: I'm the one who always treats my opponents with great respect, whether I win or lose. Without that respect, I wouldn't be where I am today. It was a tough but very valuable lesson for me."

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