Aryna Sabalenka says she has no control over the frosty reception she receives from some on the Tour but believes it is wrong to hit out at athletes over the actions of their countries.
The world No.2 is currently competing in the sport as a neutral athlete following a rule implemented by tennis’ governing bodies last year as a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Sabalenka’s home country of Belarus is accused of supporting Russia in its war which has claimed the lives of thousands of people. The two countries are currently suspended from playing in team events and were banned from Wimbledon last year in a decision that split the sport. Wimbledon has since reversed its decision for this year’s tournament.
Sabalenka has previously spoken about receiving ‘hate’ and ‘aggression’ from some in the locker room due to her nationality. Adding that she has held some ‘weird’ conversations with members of player’s teams without mentioning any names.
Speaking about the situation of Tuesday at the Italian Open in Rome, the reigning Australian Open champion admits that things are unlikely to change as the war continues. Although she argues that it is unfair to punish athletes who have nothing to do with the conflict. Some argue that Russia uses their athletes as propaganda which was the reason why they were banned from Wimbledon last year, as well as players from Sabalenka’s home country.
“The ones who were hating us before for where we’re from still hate us,” she said. “This didn’t change and I don’t think it’s going to change because of the situation (war in Ukraine).”
“I’m happy that we are allowed to play, that the WTA is doing everything they can to kind of handle this situation as good as they can.’
“The only thing that has changed for myself is I stopped thinking about that, I just started focusing on myself and understanding that I’ve done nothing bad to Ukraine. This is not my fault, not the fault of Russian and Belarusian athletes. We are just athletes who play sports. This is the only thing that helps me to stay focused and to play tennis.”
Sabalenka adds that she and her compatriots have ‘zero control’ over the situation so they can’t do anything. Although Ukrainian tennis players will argue that they can publicly speak out and condemn the war. Few players such as Daria Kasatkina have done such a thing but most just call for peace in the region without criticizing their regime. In Russia, those who publicly criticize the conflict could face prosecution and the media have to use the term ‘special military operation’ instead of war.
“Unfortunately, we have zero control over this situation. People expect something from us, and we cannot do anything. That’s the bad thing about the situation,” Sabalenka commented.
Sabalenka is the second seed at this week’s Italian Open where she will be aiming to improve on her run to the semi-final stage last year.
