Aryna Sabalenka’s day began with a routine demolition of Kamilla Rakhimova of Russia that propelled the world’s second-ranked player, who is from Belarus, into the second week of the French Open as expected.
But then Sabalenka put herself, the tournament and tennis once more at the center of the debate over sports and the war in Ukraine by refusing to attend the mandatory post-match news conference.
She said she had felt unsafe during a previous news conference this week when a journalist from Ukraine asked Sabalenka about her support of President Alexandr G. Lukashenko of Belarus, which has supported Russia’s war against Ukraine.
“On Wednesday I did not feel safe in press conference,” Sabalenka was quoted as saying at the beginning of a transcript of her statements following her 6-2, 6-2 win over Rakhimova.
“I should be able to feel safe when I do interviews with the journalists after my matches.
Persons:
Aryna, Sabalenka, Alexandr G, Lukashenko, ” Sabalenka, “, ” Cédric Laurent
Organizations:
Ukraine, “
Locations:
Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, French