Aryna Sabalenka had a rocky Roland Garros experience though some of the things she experience there have been present for a while now.
Tennis life hasn't been very simple for Sabalenka in the past year which her nationality being the culprit. Being from Belarus certainly didn't make life simpler for Sabalenka, especially as the country officially supports Russia in the war with Ukraine. It's a tough and complicated matter that split the tennis community and players like herself and Azarenka are in the middle of it.
Her recent Roland Garros experience saw her being bombarded with political questions, something she couldn't wait to stop. It's expected but it became too much for her so she skipped a few press conferences in order to protect her mental health. Those feelings of animosity have been present for a while though as the Belarusian explained in the Netflix series Break Point.
I’m from Belarus so I felt really bad. It’s tough. It’s really tough what they’re dealing with. If I could have any control of it, then of course, I would do everything I can to stop everything. Everyone started talking about, ‘You have to ban all the players from Russia and Belarus’ and I thought that everyone is looking weird to me, you know? I felt like everyone hates me because of my country.
There has been a lot of tension on the WTA Tour, especially due to the war. No shaking hands, ignoring players from Russia which is understandable to a degree but it doesn't make the situation any smoother. Sabalenka has talked about it before demonstrating that it's felt by everyone in the locker room.
Her coach is also a native of Belarus and he explained quite precisely the complicated situation all Belarusians face, especially those that have a microphone in front of them basically on a daily basis with reporters showing little to no empathy.
You start to feel really guilty because your country is part of this. But also you have to be really careful because in our country you cannot say a word about what is going on. Or if you just say the word ‘war’. Like, ‘Okay, you will die in jail.’ So it’s very difficult. It was kind of this pressure around, like, ‘You have to talk’ but also there is no right words for you.
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