It wasn’t the end that the world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka was looking for at Court Philippe-Chatrier last Saturday. After losing yet another grand slam title to Coco Gauff, Sabalenka called it “the worst final I ever played.” This defeat was understandably painful for the Belarusian because just last month, she took down Gauff in straight sets during the Madrid Open. However, in this match, the American youngster leveraged Sabalenka’s 70 unforced errors and took the Roland Garros home.

Well, Sabalenka, after the match, did congratulate Gauff for another title, but she also went on to say that Coco won he match only because conditions helped her. “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, kind of like from easy balls,” the 3-time grand slam champ said.

Well, once the WTA’s No. 1 started facing heat for her remarks, she later credited Gauff for her brilliant game. “Yesterday was a tough one. Coco handled the conditions much better than I did and fully deserved the win. She was the better player yesterday, and I want to give her the credit she earned,” wrote Sabalenka in he Instagram story. Despite the clarification, Sabalenka continues to face the heat as Serena Williams’ ex-coach, Rennae Stubbs, joined the masses in slamming.

During the Rennae Stubbs Tennis Podcast episode released yesterday, Stubbs went on to say, “I talked to a couple of players about this and all of them said I gave her a pass for what she said on the court because we have all been there. It took her 24 hours after that to write an apology, essentially on Instagram, but I’m like, ‘Girlfriend, that was so bad.’ And there is no excuses for it; there is just none. And that’s coming from me. I have said some stuff in press, but you never take it away from your opponent.”

Meanwhile, a day after the controversy, Sabalenka took to her official Instagram handle to clear the air surrounding her comments. Sharing a message on her Instagram story, Sabalenka dismissed the motive behind her controversial take on Gauff’s win and credited the American sensation for putting on a gritty performance to win the trophy.

Nonetheless, Stubbs felt that Sabalenka was too late to apologize, and the damage was already done. Additionally, Gauff was also left surprised by the choice of Sabalenka’s words during the post-match interview.

What did Coco Gauff say about Aryna Sabalenka’s controversy?

After losing the first set in the tiebreaker, Gauff gave her all to make a comeback and emerge as the winner. Making a comeback after being a set down in a Grand Slam final is never easy, and the American sensation showed tremendous grit and determination to succeed. Thus, Gauff was dejected after Sabalenka didn’t credit her enough for her win.

In the post-match interview on Good Morning America, Gauff hit back at her rival and said, “I was a little bit surprised about the comments and everything, but I’m gonna give her the benefit of the doubt. I’m sure it was an emotional day, emotional match. I know she was probably a bit emotional after that match, and it was a tough loss.”

Eventually, Gauff was able to handle the conditions better and win her maiden French Open title. Even as the controversy refuses to die down, Gauff and Sabalenka will look to focus on the upcoming grass-court season, with the Wimbledon Championships not very far away.