Aryna Sabalenka caused a stir following her comments after the 2025 French Open final, where Coco Gauff secured her first Roland Garros title on Court Philippe Chatrier. The Belarusian player’s remarks have drawn considerable attention, with Sabalenka later offering a personal apology to Gauff, which former Wimbledon champion Marion Bartoli believes was likely well received.

Marion Bartoli weighs in on Sabalenka’s apology to Coco Gauff

Marion Bartoli shared her perspective on the controversy during the BBC’s Wimbledon preview, reflecting on the emotional moment Sabalenka faced after losing the French Open final.

It’s a tough one. I am not going to be the one going out and blaming her. We have all been in a situation where you lose the match, you just feel sad, and you just say something you regret,

Bartoli explained.

I think it’s good from her that she sent an apology. I think Coco [Gauff] will probably have read those apologies and will appreciate those apologies.

Having interviewed Sabalenka several times over recent years, Bartoli emphasized the player’s positive personality despite the recent fallout.

I have been interviewing Aryna [Sabalenka] for the past four or five years, and she always has that great personality,

Bartoli noted.

She is always smiling. She always has a great sense of humour. So I really, really like her.

While the true feelings of both Gauff and Sabalenka remain private, the hope is that the apology helped ease tensions ahead of their possible meeting at Wimbledon. With Sabalenka having suffered two Grand Slam final defeats in 2025, she will be eager to make a stronger impact at the upcoming All England Club tournament.

Bartoli suggests technical adjustments for Sabalenka on grass courts

Commenting on Sabalenka’s performance in the French Open final, Bartoli acknowledged the challenging and varying weather conditions that influenced the match.

She [Sabalenka] is bringing so much to women’s tennis. Yes, she didn’t play her best tennis in the final [of Roland Garros],

Bartoli said.

It was very windy, the tournament decided to play with the roof open, but the roof was closed at the beginning of the match, and then it opened, and it changed the whole conditions of the match.

Bartoli then analyzed Sabalenka’s adaptation to grass courts, offering insight on how the Belarusian could enhance her game in preparation for Wimbledon.

That being said, I think for the grass, when I look at her performance in Berlin when she had to save four match points in the tie breaker against Elena Rybakina and then lost in the semi-final, I think still on grass she will have to do some small adjustments on her techniques especially on the forehand side when she has such a big backswing,

Bartoli explained.

She added that the speed and bounce of the ball on grass courts can challenge Sabalenka’s current style, particularly with her forehand, which sometimes struggles with quicker, lower shots on the surface.

Bartoli emphasized the importance of movement on grass.

I always felt the ones who were able to win Wimbledon are one of the best movers.

This technical insight aligns with Sabalenka’s recent showing at the 2025 Berlin Open, a key warm-up event for Wimbledon, where she reached the semifinals before losing to Marketa Vondrousova in straight sets. The Belarusian’s path to the Berlin final included a notable quarter-final victory over Elena Rybakina, where she saved four match points in a thrilling tiebreak.

• 2025 Berlin Open Semi-Final – Aryna Sabalenka lost to Marketa Vondrousova, 2-6, 4-6
• 2025 Berlin Open Quarter-Final – Aryna Sabalenka beat Elena Rybakina, 7-6, 3-6, 7-6
• 2025 Berlin Open Second Round – Aryna Sabalenka defeated Rebeka Masarova, 6-2, 7-6

With Wimbledon set to begin on Monday, June 30, Sabalenka hopes to build on these performances and address the technical areas Bartoli highlighted. Achieving success on the grass court would mark a new milestone for her, as Wimbledon remains the only Grand Slam tournament where she has not yet reached the final.

As the 2025 grass-court season unfolds, attention will turn to the potential match-up between Gauff and Sabalenka, a meeting sure to draw interest given the recent tension and high stakes. Both players are poised to demonstrate their resilience and focus as the tennis world watches closely.