'You have to adjust': Chris Evert blasts Aryna Sabalenka for controversial remarks after French Open final defeat

Chris Evert has responded to controversial comments from Aryna Sabalenka after the French Open final defeat. The 27-year-old came second-best in a high-intensity affair on Saturday against Coco Gauff, who lifted her first-ever title at the Roland Garros with a score of 6-7, 6-2, 6-4.

After the encounter, a disappointed Sabalenka made some controversial remarks to the media. She not only refused to give Gauff the deserved credit for the win but also stated that if Iga Swiatek had defeated her in the semifinal, she would have gone on to beat the 21-year-old in the final as well.

“That hurts. Especially when you’ve been playing really good tennis all week,” she said. “If Iga [Swiatek] had beaten me the other day, I think she would have gone out today and gotten the win. Conditions were terrible. When she would hit the ball, at some point the wind would just let the ball fly like crazy, and you know, I was late every time. It just hurts. I’ve been playing really well, and then in the last match, going out there and doing what I did, it hurts.”

Evert spoke to The Tennis Gazette after the final, where she criticised Sabalenka for making such comments. The 70-year-old stated that Sabalenka had no reason to complain about the conditions, as they were the same for both players.

“When you heard Aryna say it was the worst [final], I was like wow!,” she said. “You have to adjust. It’s the same on both sides. You have to make that adjustment. If you are number one in the world or number two in the world, you should know how to play on windy days by now. It was swirling. Well, you know what, then you really have to get ready and prepared for the shot quicker and you have to be aware of that and make the court smaller and not go for the lines all the time if it’s that windy. It was the same for both of them and I think Coco really adapted to it much better.”