World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka drew backlash for her rather controversial take on her French Open loss to Coco Gauff, with NBA star Draymond Green even chiming in.
Gauff beat Sabalenka in the French Open final on Saturday, as the American star battled back from losing the first set to win 6-7(5), 6-2, 6-4.
The biggest story of the game, however, was Sabalenka's 70 unforced errors. The uncharacteristic performance definitely played a big role in the Belarusian star's loss, and Sabalenka herself admitted that it's the "worst tennis" she has played.
What drew the outrage of many, though, was Sabalenka downplaying Gauff's performance. After the game, she said: "I think she won the match not because she played incredible, just because I made all of those mistakes."
Sabalenka even claimed that four-time French Open winner Iga Swiatek would have beaten Gauff had she been the one to make the Roland-Garros final.
As fans called out Aryna Sabalenka for what they believe were disrespectful comments toward Gauff, Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green roasted the top women's tennis player in the world.
On his Instagram Stories, Green posted a video of Sabalenka sharing her opinion on Gauff and the loss in the French Open final. In the caption, the four-time NBA champion wrote, "COOK COCO."
For what it's worth, Sabalenka has since clarified her remarks. On her Instagram Stories, the 28-year-old explained that "Coco handled the conditions much better than I did and fully deserved the win."
Sabalenka further stated, "She was the better player yesterday, and I want to give her the credit she earned."
While she stood by her claim that she lost because of her mistakes and bad play, she emphasized that Gauff also played well.
"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," Sabalenka shared.
