The WTA said a misunderstanding occurred when Iga Swiatek’s latest press conference with Polish media at the French Open was abruptly stopped as she was speaking about rival Aryna Sabalenka.
Following a routine question and answer session with the English journalists, it is usual at tournaments for players to then speak with others in their native language. One of the questions Swiatek was asked concerned Sabalenka who on Friday announced that she would not be conducting an open press conference following her second round match due to mental health reasons. The decision came after an interaction the tennis player had with a Ukrainian journalist who quizzed her about her support for Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko.
“I heard that she did not attend the conference, but I do not know what the reason was. I heard she didn’t feel comfortable…” Swiatek replied before the moderator stepped in and ended her conference.
Due to the timing and the nature of the question, concerns were raised that organizers were trying to prevent such questions from being asked even though journalists are allowed to do so. Dominik Senkowski from sport.pl contacted the WTA for clarity of the matter after attending Swiatek’s press conference. The governing body issued Senkowski with an apology concerning what happened.
“We apologize for the misunderstanding but there was a lack of Polish language comprehension and ended the press conference as we were simply out of time.” A WTA spokesperson said.
Even when there is time running out, it is still unusual for a moderator to end a press conference whilst the player is still speaking. No explanation was given as to why that happened.
Tensions are high at this year’s French Open due to the ongoing war in Ukraine. Both Russian and Belarussian players have been quizzed about their stance on the matter by reporters in Paris. Meanwhile, Marta Kostyuk was booed off the court following her first round loss after refusing to shake hands with Sabalenka.
Sabalenka returns to action on Sunday evening. Her third round meeting with Sloane Stephens is the first women’s match this year to be given the night time slot on Court Philippe Chatrier. It is not known if she will resume conducting open press conferences or not. On Friday she agreed to answer questions from some journalists who were selected by the French Tennis Federation. It is unclear if those questions asked had to be pre-approved.
