Aryna Sabalenka admits she 'went too far' as she explains why her coach Anton Dubrov walked out during tense WTA Finals clash

Aryna Sabalenka has shouldered the blame for driving her coach Anton Dubrov out of the stadium at the 2025 WTA Finals. The World No. 1 revealed how she felt about Dubrov's decision as she reflected on her emotional upheaval during the match.

After kicking off her campaign with a dominant win over Jasmine Paolini, Sabalenka faced a tougher challenge against Jessica Pegula at the year-end championships. The Belarusian had to fight back from a break down in the final set to claim a 6-4, 2-6, 6-3 victory and inch closer to securing a spot for the semifinals.

The win didn't come easy for Aryna Sabalenka, as evidenced by her frustrated reactions towards her team during the match. Her coach Anton Dubrov even left the stadium during the tense third set after the four-time Grand Slam champion vented out her anger.

In her post-match interview, Sabalenka acknowledged that she "went too far" with her frustrated outbursts at her coach and revealed that she planned to discuss the incident with Dubrov privately. However, the World No. 1 expressed her belief that Dubrov had made the right call by leaving the court, adding that she channeled her anger towards him into raising her level and clinching the win.

"Maybe I went a little bit too much on Anton. If he's still here, we're gonna talk but I don't know where he is. But yeah, I went a bit too much. I was so frustrated inside of me and I was just trying to let it go. Probably, I went too far. Not probably, I went too far," Aryna Sabalenka said. "Honestly, I think it was the right move from him to just let me be on my own. And I don't want to say the way I wanted to say but he really upset me and I was really, really stressed and angry on him. And that really helped me to pull out such tennis," she added.

Up next, Aryna Sabalenka will lock horns with Coco Gauff in her final group stage match as she looks to secure a spot in the semifinals and keep her hopes of winning her maiden WTA Finals title alive.

Aryna Sabalenka hopes to bring her 'best tennis' against Coco Gauff at WTA Finals

Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff - Source: Getty

With Aryna Sabalenka, Jessica Pegula and Coco Gauff still in contention for the two semifinal spots from the Stefanie Graf Group at the WTA Finals, the World No. 1 holds her fate in her hands. She will have to beat Gauff to guarantee a spot in the final four.

In the aforementioned interview, Sabalenka said that she intended to make certain improvements to her game so she could produce her "best tennis" against Gauff in their blockbuster showdown.

"I look at this tournament as I have to win five matches if I want to hold that trophy. So I’ll go out there and try to play a little bit cleaner tennis on my serve. I’ll work on a couple of things and try to bring my best tennis," Sabalenka said.

Coco Gauff will head into the encounter with a slight edge, as she holds a 6-5 lead in her head-to-head record against Aryna Sabalenka. The American claimed a 6-7(5), 6-2, 6-4 win over Sabalenka in their most recent meeting in this year's French Open final.

Edited by Urvi Mehra