The French Open was truly one to watch! It kicked off with a tribute to the King of Clay, Rafael Nadal, who won 14 titles at Roland Garros. Then, the defending champions gave their best. Iga Swiatek was taken down by the top seed, while Coco Gauff seized her moment, defeating Aryna Sabalenka to claim the title. On the men’s side, Carlos Alcaraz did the unthinkable by beating No.1 Jannik Sinner in a gruelling, record-breaking final lasting five hours and 29 minutes! It had everything!
But that’s not all Andy Roddick is focused on! On his Served podcast, the former American world No.1 praised the poise and demeanor of the finalists. Jannik Sinner, despite losing his first Roland Garros final so close to victory, showed respect to his opponent in his post-match speech. Roddick noted, “Having to stand up there after that disappointment—and I’ll tell ya, you can hide the emotion as long as you don’t have to say anything or look at anyone you care about.”
On the other hand, Aryna Sabalenka sparked controversy with her post-match press conference. Roddick said, “For Coco to handle everything with grace and with a laugh sometimes when she knows she’s probably pissed about stuff, and rightfully so. I’m just proud of our sport. I’m proud of the people. I’m proud of the way it presents.” But what did Aryna say?
Tennis. Takeover.
We’re still not over this year’s #RolandGarros and we may never be pic.twitter.com/uHrnWzJyKt
— Served with Andy Roddick (@Served_Podcast) June 11, 2025
In her press conference, Sabalenka stirred the pot: “I think she won the match not because she played incredible. Just because I made all of those mistakes.” Ouch! Fans felt she downplayed Gauff’s performance and took all the credit for her loss. The backlash was swift and fierce.
Coco Gauff handled it like a true champ. On June 9, during a Good Morning America interview, she showed grace and maturity: “I know she was probably a bit emotional after that match and it was a tough loss.” She added, “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.” Gauff’s cool-headed response only added to her growing legend as the first American woman to win the French Open since Serena Williams in 2015.
Meanwhile, Gauff got candid about her win: “I never dreamt about winning a tournament before in my life and I still haven’t, and that was the only time I had a dream about winning one.” As for Aryna Sabalenka, after the backlash, she cleared the air, showing the drama was more about the heat of the moment than anything else.
Aryna makes a bold recovery after comments on Coco Gauff
Sabalenka cleared the air on June 8, a day after her tough loss, by posting a heartfelt note on her official Instagram story. She wrote, “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.” The World No.1 didn’t shy away from admitting her mistakes: “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.”
She kept it real and balanced, adding, “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.” It’s refreshing to see such honesty after a high-stakes match.
Fun fact: Sabalenka had beaten Iga Swiatek in the semifinals to set up her clash with Gauff. Back in 2022, Coco lost to Swiatek in her first French Open final.
The rivalry between Coco Gauff and Sabalenka is heating up and quickly becoming a fan favorite. Both players brought fierce energy to the court, and it’s exciting to wonder if they’ll carry this momentum into Wimbledon. Coco is still chasing her breakthrough there, never making it past the fourth round. While Sabalenka has already reached the semifinals twice—in 2021 and 2023.
Could Wimbledon be the stage for another epic showdown? Their head-to-head record is tight at 6-5 in favor of Sabalenka, so a rematch would be thrilling. What do you think? Will these two continue to push each other to new heights? We’d love to hear your thoughts below!
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