Belarusian tennis ace Sabalenka clashes with Ukrainian journalist at French Open
Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka has claimed her Ukrainian opponent didn’t need to be booed for refusing a post-match handshake on the French Open. And the Australian Open champion then said: “Of course we don’t support war” as she clashed with a Ukrainian journalist in her post-match press convention.
The world No 2 raced to a 6-3 6-2 win in solely 71 minutes within the first match of the event on the principle Court Phillipe-Chatrier. But on the finish of the competition, Kostyuk continued her stance because the begin of the invasion of Ukraine of refusing to shake fingers with Russian and Belarusian gamers.
Boos rang out across the stadium as she thanked the umpire and walked straight to her chair – and Sabalenka regarded confused over the goal of the gang’s anger and made a sarcastic bow. The Australian Open champion then appeared to hunt clarification from her entourage and she or he then walked again out into the courtroom to just accept loud applause.
And when Kostyuk then walked off to extra jeers and boos, it turned clear the French crowd disapproved of her political gesture. She mentioned: “I couldn’t understand what’s going on. Because, I mean, we all know Ukrainian girls will not shake hands with us, so it’s kind of not surprise for us, but probably for the public today was surprised.
“They saw it as disrespect me as a player, so that’s why it was booing to her. But at first I thought they were booing me. I was a little confused, and I was, like, Okay, what should I do? I spoke to my team, make sure that I understand it right. Then I kind of understand what’s going on, and then I was saying thank you to the public, kind of like I felt sorry for what I did at the first (smiling).”
Asked if she thought it was disrespectful to not shake fingers and if Kostyuk deserved to be booed, Sabalenka mentioned: “I don’t think so. I understand why they are not shaking hands with us. I can imagine if they gonna shake hands with us, and then what’s gonna happen to them from the Ukrainian side. So I understand that. And I understand that this is not kind of like personally, you know. That’s it.
“I think she don’t deserve to be, yeah, to leave the court that way.” The world No 2, who stays unbeaten in Grand Slams this 12 months, will develop into world No 1 by profitable the title right here or if Iga Swiatek goes out earlier than the quarter-finals. In her pre-match press convention, the Belarusian mentioned it’s “OK” if Kostyuk and different gamers “hate” her.
A Ukrainian journalist requested her a protracted query about appearing as a task mannequin as world No 1 and accused her of “avoiding this question” about condemning the warfare. Sabalenka mentioned: “First of all, I’m not saying that they are saying they hate me.”
The Ukrainian journalist responded: “You did. You did many times.” Sabalenka continued: “No, but listen. First of all, when I get the question about Ukrainians, they ask me, like, So you know that they hate you? Like not personally or politically, they asking the question. So I’m answering the question that if they hate me, like I don’t feel anything like that.
“About the war situation, I said it many, many times: Nobody in this world, Russian athletes or Belarusian athletes, support the war. Nobody. How can we support the war? Nobody, normal people will never support it. Why we have to go loud and say those things – this is like one plus one, it’s two. Of course we don’t support war.
“If it could affect anyhow the war, if it could like stop it, we would do it. But unfortunately, it’s not in our hands. That’s the part about Ukrainians. Secondly, as the World No 1, what’s my message? Okay, let’s get back to the country. I’m from a small country, from Belarus, who was working really hard to get to this level.
“This is the message to a lot of young athletes who are from small countries, who don’t have enough money, who’s just from small countries, that they can do well in this sport. That they have to work hard and believe in themselves and they can do whatever they want to. This is my main message as World No 1.
“I don’t know if I’m a role model for a lot of people or, as I said, there’s going to be people who don’t like me and there are going to be people who like me. I’m focusing on people who like me and who want me to be the best. I want to show my best tennis, I want people to enjoy tennis matches, to enjoy my matches. So this is my message, to bring joy for people. I don’t know.”