Aryna Sabalenka reiterated her stance that she wants peace and stands against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine from Belarusian soil. On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which continues to this day.
After the unprovoked attack commenced, Ukrainian players decided against engaging in the customary handshake and other gestures with Russian and Belarusian players. The war deeply affected tennis as Wimbledon banned Russian and Belarusian athletes from competing in the tournament in the summer of 2022.
Thanks for the submission!
“Some of the Ukrainian coaches, they would say really, really, really mean stuff to me. I don’t want to repeat it. It was so terrible. So it got to my head, and I would be hysterically crying,” Aryna Sabalenka said during an interview with TIME.
More than four years have passed, and players from both countries no longer compete under their flags. During this period, the World No. 1 has constantly raised her voice against the war during the same interview and said:
“No one does, it’s so obvious.”
Sabalenka has been repeatedly accused of supporting Belarus’ authoritarian President, Alexander Lukashenko, an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin. When asked whether she supports him, Sabalenka gave a stern reply and said:
“I don’t want to talk about it.”
Before the war broke out, the four-time Grand Slam champion had been struggling with her serve. The added stress and pressure further aggravated her woes.
“My heart rate would go so high up, and I wouldn’t be able to breathe normally. I completely lost it. I had to play tennis without a serve,” she added.
Sabalenka ended 2022 with 428 double faults, which was surprisingly 151 more than any other player on the tour.
When Aryna Sabalenka revealed the hate messages she received from Ukrainians
Earlier this year in May, Aryna Sabalenka disclosed the amount of hate she received from the people on the tour. The 28-year-old recalled the moment when a coach brutally slammed her as if she was the one “throwing bombs.”
“Not shaking hands—I respect that position. I know it’s not personal. They’re sending a message. But it was tough, the amount of hate I was receiving from people on tour. One coach went nuts on me, saying that I’m the one who’s throwing the bombs. It’s obvious that I want peace for everyone. I don’t want this war to happen,” Aryna Sabalenka said.
She called for all players to use the sport as a platform to come together, show peace and take a stand against war, rather than fighting each other.
“They should sit down at the table and, with negotiations, figure their s**t out. But I also think that sport is a platform and a place where we can come together, not fight against each other as if we’re having our own war. Get together, be together, show peace. For so long, Ukrainians and Belarusians were like brothers and sisters. We’re the same. We’re all tied close together. And now there’s a huge wall between us, and I don’t know if it’s ever going away,” she added.
On the tennis front, Aryna Sabalenka suffered a shock Round of 16 exit at the Canadian Open in a closely fought encounter against Ekaterina Alexandrova. She will hope to rediscover her mojo in Cincinnati before defending her title at the US Open.
Edited by Pritha Ghosh