Coco Loco
After Sabalenka was misquoted as saying that Laura Siegemund’s game was “annoying” to play against, she reacted quickly to set the record straight.
And it is likely that the reason for such a strong reaction was the backlash to her comments after the French Open final.
Sabalenka was beaten in three sets by Coco Gauff and after the match blamed herself for the defeat with many accusing her of not giving the American the respect she deserved.
“It was honestly the worst tennis I’ve played in I don’t know how many months,” Sabalenka said.
“Conditions were terrible, and she simply was better in these conditions than me.
“I think I was overemotional and I didn’t really handle myself well.
“I think she won the match not because she played incredible, just because I made all of those mistakes from, if you look from the outside, easy balls.
“I cannot go out there every time against her in the finals of the Grand Slam and play such terrible tennis,” Sabalenka added.
“It felt like a joke, honestly, like somebody from above was just there laughing saying, ‘let’s see if you can handle this’.
“Honestly, sometimes it felt like she was hitting the ball from the frame.
“Somehow magically the ball lands in the court, and you are kind of on the back foot.”
Sabalenka also suggested that Swiatek, who she knocked out at the semi-final stage, would have beaten Gauff in the final.
After the backlash to those comments Sabalenka apologised and said: “That was just completely unprofessional of me. I let my emotions get the better of me.
“I absolutely regret what I said back then. You know, we all make mistakes. I’m just a human being who’s still learning in life.
“I think we all have those days when we lose control. The difference with me is, the world is watching. I get a lot more hate for what I did than other people.”