At just 21 years of age, American tennis phenom Coco Gauff bested World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the French Open over the weekend.
The win made Gauff the first American woman to win the French Open title since Serena Williams did so in 2015. While those around the sports world such as NBA superstar LeBron James and former U.S. President Barack Obama, praised Goff, her adversary took the opposite approach when speaking to the media.
Following her loss, a dejected Sabalenka attributed Goff's victory coming as a result of her (Sabalenka) making mistakes, and not necessarily due to Goff's play. She later backtracked on her statement via social media and praised Goff, the world's No. 2 player (Goff) made it clear on Monday's "Good Morning America" that she was shocked.
"I was a little bit surprised about the comments and everything but I'm gonna give her the benefit of the doubt," Gauff said. "I'm sure it was an emotional day, emotional match." Gauff continued, "I know she was probably a bit emotional after that match and it was a tough loss."
An uncomfortable situation that Gauff clearly handled with grace considering the fact her victory was initially disregarded.
"I think she won the match not because she played incredible," said Sabalenka. "Just because I made all of those mistakes, if you look from the outside, from kind of easy balls."
As a result of the win, Gauff was awarded $2.9 million, and to sweeten the pot, bragging rights over.
While Sabalenka seemed to think that Gauff beating her was an anomaly, Gauff is now sporting a 6-5 record against her all-time with a 2-1 record in Grand Slam finals. Needless to say, this could end up being one of tennis' biggest rivalries for years to come.
