World No.1 has again been criticised for her comments after losing to in the French Open final. The 21-year-old American 6-7 (5-7) 6-2 6-4 and claim her maiden title at Roland Garros.

Afterwards, the Belarusian was anything but dignified. She told the crowd she played "terribly" and attributed the result to her own mistakes rather than Gauff's play. The 27-year-old also claimed that , whom she beat in the semi-final, .

"If Iga had beaten me another day, I think she would go out today and she would get the win," she said. "Yeah, it just hurts. Honestly hurts. I've been playing really well, and then in the last match, to go out there and perform like I did, that hurts."

Sabalenka received , with Gauff since firing back. The issue was discussed further when the newly crowned champion joined Stephen A. Smith on his show First Take, with the host raising the issue.

"I'm asking, what is her problem?" said Smith. "I mean, somebody has got to ask this question. She came across as a very sore loser after she lost to you. What is up with her?"

The American actor wasn't done there. He also told Gauff that she was now the rightful world No.1 ahead of the third Grand Slam of the year at this month.

"This ain't the first time you beat her," he said. "You beat her in 2023. You beat her again this time around. Aryna Sabalenka, that's her name. I bring her up because even though she's the No.1 player in the world, I don't think she should be that way now. It should be you."

Instead, Gauff will head to SW19 ranked second in the ATP rankings. She famously reached the fourth round in London in 2019 when she was just 15, but has not advanced further in the tournament since.