'We're good': Gauff, Sabalenka bury the hatchet, dance up a storm
Rumors of any bad blood between Coco Gauff and Aryna Sabalenka have been greatly exaggerated.
The top two players in the PIF WTA Rankings offered proof that all is well between them after heated scenes both during and following their recent Roland Garros final by practicing -- and dancing -- together at Wimbledon on Friday, posting videos on social media.
“TikTok dances always had a way of bringing people together,” Sabalenka wrote on Instagram as the two revealed a choreographed clip to “Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)” by C+C Music Factory after a Centre Court practice session.
Gauff, meanwhile, posted a video of the two on the grounds of the All England Club lip-syncing to an audio track with the words: “OK, guys, we’re back. Did you miss us? ’Cause we missed you.”
After Gauff came from a set down to defeat Sabalenka for her second Grand Slam title in Paris, Sabalenka’s emotional post-match comments -- saying she felt she “lost the match more than Coco won it” -- sparked chatter online and in the media about whether tension existed between the pair.
Gauff repeatedly downplayed any notion of a feud, telling ESPN, “She’s probably emotional about [the loss], so I’m not going to take it with too much anything, and I hope people give her a bit of slack too.”
Speaking during Wimbledon media day Saturday, Sabalenka clarified she didn’t intend to disrespect Gauff, explaining she had messaged her directly to apologize when she wasn’t sure if they would cross paths before London.
“I didn’t really want to offend her," Sabalenka said. "I was just completely upset with myself, and emotions got over me. I wanted to say it in person to her, but I wasn’t sure if she was going to come to Berlin, so I had to message her to apologize and make sure she understood it.”
Gauff quickly accepted the apology, telling Sabalenka it was “all good, don’t worry,” which Sabalenka said was a relief.
“As you saw in the video, we are good, we are friends," Sabalenka said. "I hope the U.S. media can be easy on me right now.”
Sabalenka acknowledged that the aftermath of Paris became a moment of reflection.
“Usually after losing, I’m quite good,” she said. “It’s just this time it was super tough for me. I don’t know why. I wanted it badly, and the emotions took over. I think I realized a lot about myself after Paris, and I really hope it will never happen again.”
She admitted she turned to reading as a way to reset.
“I’m glad I had a book in Mykonos so I could just get distracted by reading,” she said with a laugh. “The lesson is learned.”
The sporting scenes were received warmly by fans, and even impressed U.S. Olympic rugby player Ilona Maher. The bronze medalist shared a clip of the dance to her Instagram story with the caption, “Too many legends in one video."
“We need to make one with you,” Sabalenka wrote in response.
