Ahead of her participation at the 2023 Indian Wells, Aryna Sabalenka was asked about the ongoing war in Ukraine.
Last year, Russian and Belarusian athletes were banned from competing in Wimbledon but it appears that they will be allowed to play this year. As the situation is often discussed in media, the players are asked about their opinions in press conferences, and Aryna Sabalenka was also one of them.
The Belarusian, who would be one of the favourites last year in the All England Club, was really disappointed about not being able to participate, and earlier this year, she disclosed that she didn't even watch the tournament.
"Well, to be honest, I am trying to stay away from this. Last year, it was super painful for me and I was really worried about that but this year, I mean, I cannot control it."
"They will do whatever they want to and I really that we are going to playing there. I like the tournament, it's a beautiful place, I like the crowd. I really miss the people there because it's really enjoyable playing in front of fans there. So yeah, I really hope they're going to let us play. If not, then what can I do."
Sabalenka, who won the Eisenhower Cup alongside Taylor Fritz, opened up also about the ongoing war and invasion of Ukraine as she shared her views on the situation and how her approach changed, as she blamed herself in the past.
"Before, I was really worried about that and I didn't really know what to do and I really thought that this situation was my fault, you know."
"Like, the reaction of people to some different things made me feel really bad but then I realized that this is not under my control and I did nothing bad against Ukrainian people. So yeah, this is not my fault, zero control in this situation. Unfortunately, we're somehow invited in all this."
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