Tracy Austin left ‘absolutely shocked’ by what she saw Aryna Sabalenka do throughout the French Open final vs Coco Gauff

She was disturbed by the conditions and flustered by Coco Gauff’s play style, both of which conspired to create the perfect storm.

However, as the world number one, Austin expected more.

In fact, she admitted that she was left shocked by Sabalenka’s inability to adapt, and one other thing she did throughout the match.

Tracy Austin criticises Aryna Sabalenka after French Open final

Offering her post-match analysis in Tennis Channel Live, the American pundit could not help but be surprised by what she’d seen from the world number one.

After all, it was an uncharacteristic performance from Sabalenka, who just could not deal with the conditions and collapsed because of it.

Austin admitted: ‘I was absolutely shocked that the number one player in the world didn’t have the capability of hitting 10 balls in a row if she wanted to. It was the third shot of a point on clay where your power is diffused. We know that Sabalenka is one of the most powerful players out there, and we know that is probably the fastest player along with Iga.

‘She is going to get a lot of balls back in play, she is going to go to that sliced forehand and looped forehand. She is going to go to the three-quarter rally ball and test and extract those mistakes from Sabalenka.

‘Sabalenka was unwilling to get the right balls back in play, not try to change from cross-court to down the line, which is a high-risk shot so soon in the point, going for a ten out of my scale, with one to ten. She was so often at the nine and the ten scale.

‘She was so often at the nine or ten scale [in power shots]. When you are receiving a ball when you are not on balance, where your feet are not under you, you have to go back to a six or a seven, build the point and then look for the opportunity.’

However, that was not the only thing that shocked Austin: ’I was so surprised by how often Sabalenka was looking at her team so often because of the weather.

‘You have been playing in the conditions since you were 10 years old, you have been playing in wind, and you have to realise it’s on Coco’s side and my side, I have to deal with it. Use my feet a bit better, not show any anxiety and pull my margins in because of the wind.’

Aryna Sabalenka failed to adapt in French Open final

It’s plain and simple that the main reason Sabalenka fell to defeat yesterday was her inability to adapt.

After all, on paper, she was the heavy favourite, with superior ball-striking that has made her the deserved number one in the world for some time.

However, as the wind swirled around Philippe Chatrier, it offered an equaliser for Gauff, making her scrappy, hard-working play style even more effective.

She fought for every ball, forcing the Belarusian to hit two, three or even four winners before she actually claimed the point. In the end, it forced Sabalenka to overplay, and her 70 unforced errors were the end result.

Aryna Sabalenka’s recent record in finals

There’s no doubt that the 27-year-old will be back to compete for the French Open title again, and hopefully this experience can provide some much-needed improvements for her to strive for.

That is, despite Mary Joe Fernandez suggesting Gauff could dominate women’s tennis following this breakthrough moment.

But this result just shows that even if you have been the dominant player on the tour for over a year, there’s always room for improvement.