Aryna Sabalenka speaks out after hostile US Open crowd boo her over Coco Gauff comments
Aryna Sabalenka addressed the US Open crowd after she was booed following her Coco Gauff comments.
Sabalenka began her US Open title defence with a straight sets victory over Rebeka Masarova in New York.
She overcame a shaky start to beat her Swiss opponent 7-5, 6-1.
But the main takeaway from her opening match of the tournament was that of the crowd reaction.
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Fans inside the Louis Armstrong Stadium welcomed Sabalenka to the court with a chorus of boos, which were audible on the broadcast.
The spiky crowd reaction comes after her explosive press conference following her defeat to Gauff at the French Open final.
The Belarusian put in an error-strewn performance in a 6-7, 6-2, 6-4 defeat to Gauff in June.
Speaking after her defeat, she said it was the 'worst final I ever played'.
She added: "I think she won the match not because she played incredible [but] just because I made all of those mistakes."
However, Sabalenka wrote a letter to Gauff to apologise for her 'completely unprofessional' remarks.
"That was just completely unprofessional of me. I let my emotions get the better of me," she explained.
"I'm just a human being who's still learning in life. I think we all have those days when we lose control.
"I wrote to Coco afterwards - not immediately, but recently."
The US Open crowd had clearly not forgotten Sabalenka's comments as they made their feelings known in Sunday's first-round clash.
Despite the boos, the world number one thanked the New York crowd for the 'warm welcome' in what appeared to be a sincere post.
She posted a series of images from her match against Masarova, with the caption: "NYC, thank you for the warm welcome. I’m so happy to be back on this court, you gave me goosebumps."
After her US Open win, Sabalenka, who has teamed up with 10-time Grand Slam doubles champions Max 'the Beast' Mirnyi, said: "I feel like we improved a couple things together and I'm looking forward to working more with this wonderful guy.
"Hopefully we can finally improve my volley - maybe one day you will see me coming to the net more often but for now it's a work in progress.
"Now you can call our team Beauty and the Beast."
Nasir Jabbar