Professional tennis isn’t always a fair duel. One player may dominate, while the other is overwhelmed by events. Though often billed as a 50-50 fight, matchups and playing styles disrupt that illusion on the court. In Saturday’s French Open final, Coco Gauff knew the match wasn’t on her racket, so she played the supporting actor to Aryna Sabalenka’s firestorm, relying on her relentless court coverage, lateral hustle, and rock-solid baseline defense! She embraced the chaos within. Sabalenka didn’t! While Aryna’s raw emotion spilled across the clay, one wonders: did it tip the balance? Aryna Sabalenka could barely speak yesterday, her face buried in her palms, mic trembling in her hand, tears slipping down her cheeks. It was a heartbreaking scene for the top seed, who had stormed ahead after claiming the first set in a tense French Open final. But Coco Gauff, calm and calculated, flipped the script with a fearless comeback. The scoreboard read 6-7(5), 6-2, 6-4, and soon after, the American anthem roared through Court Philippe-Chatrier. The wind howled, and Sabalenka’s frustration danced with it: visible, raw, unfiltered. But for Gauff, did that chaos become strategy? Speaking at the post-match press conference, the two-time GS winner stood with the poise of a champion, grounded, sharp, and completely aware. When asked if the swirling Paris wind played a decisive role in her gritty win over Aryna Sabalenka, especially after the Belarusian blasted the playing conditions, Coco kept it cool afterwards. “I was aware a little bit, but also like I don’t pay attention too much, especially against Aryna, because I’ve seen her get mad and then go on a tear. So I was just trying not to pay attention to it today,” she said, eyes steady, voice calm.It wasn’t a day for poetry in motion. It was war: chaotic, messy, unpredictable. Gauff didn’t sugarcoat the conditions either. “I knew I was frustrated, maybe if I didn’t show it as much. I was visibly like, Oh, I think I’m in my head, I was frustrated, and I know if I’m frustrated, then my opponent has to be frustrated,” she admitted. “So yeah, it was not a day for great tennis, honestly. I don’t know too many people who could play great tennis today, but you know it’s part of the sport and part of playing outside. You just don’t know what to expect, especially in Paris.”2025 Roland-Garros – Day 14 PARIS, FRANCE – JUNE 07: Aryna Sabalenka gestures as she speaks to the crowd following her defeat to Coco Gauff of United States in the Women s Singles Final match on Day Fourteen of the 2025 French Open at Roland Garros on June 07, 2025 in Paris, France. Burak Akbulut / Anadolu Paris France. Editorial use only. Please get in touch for any other usage. PUBLICATIONxNOTxINxTURxUSAxCANxUKxJPNxITAxFRAxAUSxESPxBELxKORxRSAxHKGxNZL Copyright: x2025xAnadoluxBurakxAkbulutxBut while Sabalenka visibly battled the wind and her emotions, the American stayed locked in, emotionally armored. When asked if her opponent’s outbursts gave her any sort of edge, the 21-year-old answered with clarity and maturity. “I wouldn’t say it gets it, doesn’t give me much of a lift, just because it wasn’t great. So yeah, obviously when you see your opponent frustrated in any circumstance if it’s tough or not obviously it does uplift you just because you know that they’re frustrated.”What stood out most was how well Coco understood Sabalenka’s emotional rhythm. “Like today it wasn’t anything that I was paying attention to too much just because I feel like she’s the type of player that lets that frustration out and then can play some great tennis. So I was just not really focused on her this much, and more so focused on me,” Gauff said. That self-discipline became her weapon, didn’t it?Even before the match began, Andy Roddick offered a sharp tactical insight into how Coco Gauff might gain the upper hand, and it proved spot on. He noted that Gauff could win by doing what she does best: thriving even on an off day. “I mean that with like utmost amount of respect because honestly, that’s what I prided myself on. I was like the best of the bad players. Like my off day was effective, her off day is so good. And it’s not going to work if she doesn’t play great against Sabalenka.” His prediction echoed loudly as Gauff turned scrappy resilience into championship gold.As the match wore on from the start, the wind whipped the ball into unpredictable spins, skidding and swirling like a storm. Sabalenka couldn’t hide her fury. “Conditions were terrible, and she simply was better in these conditions than me. I think it was the worst final I ever played,” she admitted later, her disappointment etched into every word.This loss will sting, though. It will leave a mark. But Sabalenka is no stranger to the fire. Fans know the beast within her. The question now: How deep will she dig to rise from this fall?Sabalenka retreats to Mykonos after French heartbreakThe Belarusian showed her trademark mental steel in a thunderous 78-minute opening set of the final, roaring to a 4-1 lead with a double break. Even as Coco Gauff clawed back to force a tie-break, Sabalenka held firm, edging the shootout to snatch the set and seize early control in the match.But the tides turned quickly. A staggering 70 unforced errors crept into the top seed’s game, unraveling her rhythm. Gauff blitzed through the 2nd set in just 32 minutes, then closed out the decider with a clinical late break to lift her second GS trophy.And for Sabalenka, the heartbreak is real: but so is the escape plan. “I already have a flight booked to Mykonos and alcohol, sugar,” she confessed with brutal honesty. “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.”With tequila, gummy bears, and the Aegean Sea calling, Sabalenka plans to be “like a tourist for a couple of days,” soaking in sunshine to flush out the sting!And for the tennis queen, the straight GS final losses hurt! But with Wimbledon on the horizon and grass beneath her feet, don’t count her out. The fight’s not over. The fire still burns!The post Coco Gauff Makes Rare Confession After Aryna Sabalenka’s Reeling French Open Meltdown appeared first on EssentiallySports.