“I hate losing” – Gauff reflects on Madrid defeat to Sabalenka
The American lost 6-3, 7-6 (3) to Sabelnka in the Madrid final
Coco Gauff and Aryna Sabalenka (Zuma/PSNewz)
Coco Gauff has lost only two finals in the course of her WTA Tour career – the Roland-Garros final against Iga Swiatek in 2022, and now the 2025 Madrid Open final against Aryna Sabalenka.
She has won the other nine showdowns in which she has competed – a fine record by anyone’s standards, so it was unsurprising that the 21-year-old had a decent perspective on finishing as runner-up to the world No 1 in Spain.
“I hate losing a lot, and especially in finals, because it’s like you’re so close,” she told reporters in the post-match press conference following a tournament in which she lost her first set 6-0 and then went on to beat world No 2 Iga Swiatek in the semi-final. “I do get ready for these matches and, yeah, I credit it to just how much I hate losing.
“I don’t know, today was tough, but obviously if I can lose this and go a few more finals undefeated I’ll take that. Each time it’s a learning experience, and maybe I needed to feel this loss again to be motivated again, even more motivated for the next one.”
Gauff – Sabalenka is always tough to play
Her record against Sabalenka is now five wins apiece, with the Belarusian winning three of their last four encounters.
“I feel like she just got a lot better in everything,” Gauff said. “Probably every time I play her is tough and, yeah, I don’t think today she played me any different than the other few, or 10 times we played. Yeah, I think last time we played [in the semi-finals of the 2024 WTA Finals] I was serving better and it went my way.
“Yeah, maybe she moves a little bit better, but she’s always been tough to play. So, yeah, I think she just probably is more confident, so that’s why the consistent results are happening, but she’s always been a great player.”
