Devastated after her Roland Garros final defeat to Coco Gauff, Aryna Sabalenka had her post-tournament plan in place to begin the process of moving on.
“I already have a flight booked to Mykonos and alcohol, sugar,” the world No.1 said.
“I just need couple of days to completely forget about this crazy world and this crazy… if I could swear, I would swear right now, but this crazy thing that happened today.
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“I think everyone understands. I'm just trying to be very polite right now, but you know, there is no other word that could describe what just happened today on the court.
She added with a smile: “But yeah, tequila, gummy bears, and I don't know, swimming, being like the tourist for couple of days.”
Sabalenka’s disappointment was understandable, given the context surrounding her defeat. Even Gauff said after the final: “Honestly the way Aryna was playing the last few weeks, she was the favourite to win.”
Sabalenka, the reigning Madrid champion, was the top seed at Roland Garros and had been increasing her points lead at world No.1 with every tournament final she made in 2025.
Fuelled by the disappointment of being pipped in the third set of the Australian Open final, she stormed into the quarterfinals for the loss of just 18 games.
In the quarters she beat Paris 2024 Olympic gold medallist Zheng Qinwen in straight sets, ending Zheng’s 10-match winning streak at Stade Roland Garros while avenging her Rome defeat to the Chinese star.
In a blockbuster semifinal she overwhelmed four-time champion Iga Swiatek in the third set, ending Swiatek’s incredible 26-match unbeaten run at the tournament.
And despite challenging conditions in the final, she snared the first set against Gauff, putting her a set away from a fourth Grand Slam title, and first away from hard courts.
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But she couldn’t maintain her lead. She sprayed errors – finishing the match with 70 unforced – as Gauff better adapted to the conditions while cleverly diffusing Sabalenka’s power with her world-leading athleticism, counterpunching and grit.
Sabalenka received criticism for her dismissiveness of Gauff during her post-match press conference.
“Right now I don't see how can I be easy on myself, because honestly, guys, it's the worst match I've played in the last couple of months. It's just a joke. I cannot do that anymore in the finals,” she said at the time.
But with an extra 24 hours to process the defeat, plus the benefit of hindsight, Sabalenka shared more thoughts on Instagram.
“Yesterday was a tough one,” she wrote.
“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.
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“You all know me… I’m always going to be honest and human in how I process these moments. I made over 70 unforced errors, so I can’t pretend it was a great day for me.
“But both things can be true… I didn’t play my best, and Coco stepped up and played with poise and purpose. She earned that title. Respect.
“Time to rest, learn and come back stronger.”
Sabalenka is scheduled to return on the grass courts of Berlin – a WTA 500 tournament – before turning her attention to Wimbledon, which she missed in 2024 due to injury.
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