ARyna Sabalenka came, conquered and was silent. Please not another press conference! Just no more questions about the war against Ukraine! Please just a small interview with a selected circle about how their third round match at the French Open against the Russian Kamilla Rakhimova went sporty!
The round of journalists two days earlier, in which she was supposed to take a stand on her attitude to the Russian war of aggression and her own closeness to the Belarusian ruler Alexander Lukashenko, would have hit her badly, said the second-best tennis player according to the world rankings on Friday. She “didn’t feel safe”: “For my own mental health and well-being, I decided to pull myself out of this situation today,” the Belarusian is quoted as saying in Friday’s written record, to which all journalists had access afterwards.
Sabalenka emphasized that the organizers of the Paris Grand Slam tournament supported her in her decision. This has been confirmed by officials from the French Tennis Federation, which hosts the French Open. At the same time, they left it unclear whether there would be further press conferences with Sabalenka. For example after the round of 16 against the American Sloane Stephens this Sunday.
“Everyone should feel good about what they do”
The French Open had experienced something similar two years ago. At that time, the Japanese Naomi Osaka announced before her first match that she did not want to face the media representatives. She also justified this with the protection of her mental health. Ahead of the second round, Osaka withdrew from Roland Garros entirely after some bickering with tournament organizers and had to pay a $15,000 fine.
Aryna Sabalenka: Nobody can judge what is going on inside her.
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Image: AFP
In her explanation for her withdrawal, Sabalenka mainly alludes to probing questions from a Ukrainian journalist. The representative of the Tribuna newspaper asked the tennis player in a large group on Wednesday for a letter of support for ruler Lukashenka. The letter is said to have been signed by Sabalenka in 2020, when the regime responded to protests with violence. In addition, since her arrival in Paris, the Belarusian has been asked for a clear stance on the Russian war of aggression.
In the past few days she had emphasized in Paris that she rejected war. “No one in the world, Russian and Belarusian athletes, support the war,” Sabalenka replied at the press conference after her first-round victory over Ukrainian Marta Kostjuk. The Miami-based Belarusian has expressly condemned the attack by Russia with the help of her home country, but she has never publicly condemned it. But she has been on the professional tour for months “very clearly in my feelings and thoughts,” Sabalenka claimed on Friday. No one can judge what is going on inside her. In her statements, however, she is largely reserved.
The 25-year-old Minsk-born athlete has been the focus of attention since the tournament began; as second in the world rankings and Australian Open winner even more than her professional colleagues from Russia. Sabalenka’s first round match in Roland Garros ended in a scandal. Her Ukrainian opponent Kostjuk had refused to shake her hand, as has been customary since the Russian attack in February 2022, and was therefore booed by spectators. The 20-year-old Ukrainian then stressed that she could not respect Sabalenka because of her attitude towards the war. Other top Ukrainian players like Elina Switolina also expect the Belarusian to use her reputation and position herself more clearly.
On the other hand, her upcoming opponent Sloane Stephens understands Sabalenka’s partial withdrawal. “Everyone should feel good about what they are doing,” said the American, who is a member of the WTA players’ council. “If she doesn’t feel safe, she shouldn’t have to go there.”
