"Aryna Sabalenka didn't mean to disrespect Coco Gauff" - Novak Djokovic makes his position clear on duo's French Open controversy

Novak Djokovic recently weighed in on the controversy between Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff, which erupted in the aftermath of the pair's clash in the women's singles final of the 2025 French Open. Sabalenka made a couple of disparaging remarks about Gauff after losing the final to the American. Later, Gauff dismissed the Belarusian's take. Eventually, the conflict was amicably resolved by the pair.

After her loss in the Roland Garros final, Sabalenka claimed that the result boiled down to her own mistakes during the match. The reigning WTA No. 1 also opined that had Iga Swiatek beaten her in the semis and progressed to the final, the Pole would have come out on top against Gauff. These takes sparked widespread outrage, as the Belarusian was accused of being brazenly disrespectful towards the American.

Later, Aryna Sabalenka disclosed that she had sent apologetic text messages to Coco Gauff, which the American confirmed as well. Following their respective arrivals at Wimbledon, the pair patched up sensationally, as they filmed TikTok videos of themselves dancing together. Speaking up about the controversy during a pre-tournament press conference ahead of his Wimbledon Championships campaign, Novak Djokovic said:

"Look, we all at the end of the day are human beings that have difficult emotions at the end of the day that we have to handle right after losing a big match, Grand Slam finals for example, as she did against Coco. And things happen. When you're heightened with emotions and your blood is running hot, it's not always easy to suppress that and put, how can I say it, diplomacy ahead."

The Serb, who shares a close friendship with Sabalenka, added:

"Even though, I feel like it's always important to pay respect and acknowledge the success of your opponent that just beat you. I saw what she said and everything and I think in the end she clarified it. Look, it happens. Maybe it came out in the wrong way but she didn't mean to disrespect Coco."

The former ATP No. 1 and 24-time Major champion also went on to bring up the men's singles final at Roland Garros to drive home his point of being respectful to opponents even after suffering disappointing results.

"Jannik Sinner could be bitter after dropping French Open final against Carlos Alcaraz" - Novak Djokovic

Jannik Sinner after his loss to Carlos Alcaraz in the men's singles final of the 2025 French Open (Source: Getty)

According to Novak Djokovic, Jannik Sinner had every reason to be "bitter" after losing the men's singles final at Roland Garros to Carlos Alcaraz. The reigning ATP No. 1 squandered three match points before ultimately losing to the Spaniard in a five-set thriller that lasted five hours and 29 minutes. However, the Serb highlighted how the Italian maintained his respect for Alcaraz despite the heartbreaking result.

"I mean if you see Sinner and Alcaraz after 5 and a half hours, Sinner could be bitter after dropping that match. But he was gracious in his speech, came back, played a good tournament a week after and he's here and hes moving on. I think it sends the right message with the rivalry and the way they respect each other, I think it's beautiful to see," Djokovic said.

Interestingly, Djokovic himself lost to Sinner in the semis at Roland Garros. The Serb tried his best to compete against the Italian, but on the day, the reigning No. 1's relentless ball-striking was simply too much for the 38-year-old to handle.

Edited by Sudipto Pati