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Belarusian tennis star Aryna Sabalenka, who is all set for the 2023 edition of the Wimbledon, said that she doesn’t want to talk about the Russia-Ukraine war in the tournament. The war between both the nations became a contentious topic for the tennis star during the last Grand Slam tournament. Sabalenka announced that she is willing to only talk about her sport and won’t be addressing the war in the tournament started from July 3, Monday.
The 25-year-old tennis star told reporters about her decision of not addressing war-related questions in the tournament. She said, “I would like to say I’m not going to talk about politics. I’m here to talk about tennis only. Please respect that. If you have any kind of political questions, you can ask the WTA or the tournament. They can send you the transcript of my answers from the previous tournaments." On being asked if she was pressured in some way to make the statement, Sabalenka replied, “It’s my personal decision.”
The No. 2 seeded player at the All-England Club is considered one of the main contenders for the prestigious tournament. The winner of Australian Open 2023 missed two news conferences when she made it to the semis of the French Open in June, this year. The Belarusian is said to have got uncomfortable with the queries about the war and Belarus’ part in Russia’s attack on Ukraine.
Sabalenka made it to the semifinals of Wimbledon 2021 and wasn’t allowed to compete in the tournament a year ago. Players from Russia and Belarus were banned due to Russia’s attack on Ukraine that began in February 2022.
