Aryna Sabalenka has had a very successful year tennis-wise but off the court was quite troublesome for the Belarusian.
Sabalenka has experienced a lot of negative reactions toward herself since Russia invaded Ukraine and it's simply due to her nationality. She is from Belarus, one of the few countries that are backing Russia in that war and it's earned her hate she didn't ask for.
There has been a lot of tension on the WTA Tour since the invasion, particularly between Russian and Ukrainian players but Sabalenka hasn't been removed from that. She took some measures to protect her mental health during the French Open as she was bombarded with political questions though that wasn't the only negative experience she had at the event.
In an interview with L'Equipe Sabalenka discussed an instance where a Ukranian coach verbally attacked her which caused her to feel very unsafe. The situation deeply affected her as she was left in tears following the interaction.
One day a coach of a Ukrainian player told me ‘I'm glad you lost.' I went to the WTA office. I cried like a baby, unable to speak.
The incident was reported to the WTA but it's unclear what happened after that. There hasn't been any public comment made by the organization so it seems like they would like to keep it internal. Sabalenka has spoken out against the war in the past, much like her Russian colleagues but the attacks aren't likely going to stop.
He followed me and shouted that I was throwing the bombs. We don't support war. So what do you expect from us? That we shout 'no war’?
The grass season has been somewhat shaky for the Belarusian with some bad losses but she is excited about returning to Wimbledon. She stood in the semi-final two years ago while missing last year's event due to the ban.
It will be interesting to see whether the Belarusian gets bombarded with more political questions considering the rather strong pro-Ukraine stance by the United Kingdom. Their press doesn't really hold back so she might get a few tricky questions once again.
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