Gauff on criticism of Sabalenka: Went 'too far'

LONDON -- It didn't instrumentality agelong for Coco Gauff and Aryna Sabalenka to spot up their narration aft this month's French Open final.

Now arsenic Wimbledon is astir to start, Gauff is hoping everyone other tin besides hide what the top-ranked Sabalenka said successful the aftermath of her nonaccomplishment to the American astatine Roland-Garros.

A time aft dancing unneurotic connected Wimbledon's Centre Court successful a TikTok video, the 2 tennis players faced much questions connected Saturday astir the aftermath of Sabalenka's comments close aft the final, erstwhile she said her nonaccomplishment had much to bash with her ain mistakes than Gauff's performance.

The Belarusian aboriginal wrote to apologize to Gauff and said her comments were "unprofessional," but not earlier she faced immoderate large backlash from fans and pundits -- particularly successful the United States.

Gauff is trying to marque definite the disapproval stops.

"I'm not the idiosyncratic that volition substance hatred successful the world," said Gauff, who opens her Wimbledon run against Dayana Yastremska connected Tuesday. "I deliberation radical were taking it excessively far. ... It was conscionable truly targeting and saying a batch of things that I felt were not nice. I didn't privation to substance that more."

Sabalenka, who faces Carson Branstine connected No. 1 Court connected Monday, said she hopes the TikTok video shows that each is good betwixt the two.

"We are good, we are friends," the three-time large victor said. "I anticipation the U.S. media tin beryllium casual connected maine close now."

Sabalenka reiterated that she ne'er meant to offend Gauff.

"I was conscionable wholly upset with myself, and emotions got implicit me," she said. "I conscionable wholly mislaid it."

Gauff did admit that she was initially tempted to deed backmost publically astatine Sabalenka, who said the American "won the lucifer not due to the fact that she played incredible; conscionable due to the fact that I made each of those mistakes from ... casual balls."

But aft Sabalenka reached retired to apologize, she was speedy to hide immoderate grudge.

"I preach love, I preach light," Gauff said. "I conscionable privation america to beryllium Kumbaya, unrecorded happily, hakuna matata, and beryllium blessed here."