Belarusian tennis star Aryna Sabalenka says she does not support Russian war in Ukraine

Belarusian tennis star Aryna Sabalenka said she does not support Russia’s war in Ukraine or her country’s president “at the moment.”

After skipping two press conferences at Roland Garros after being asked by the media about her personal stance on the war, Sabalenka – the world number two and Australian Open champion – spoke to reporters on Tuesday.

“I don’t want my country to be involved in conflict,” Sabalenka said.

“I don’t support war.

Russia used Belarusian territory as a launching pad for its invasion of Ukraine in February last year.

Sabalenka reached the French Open semifinals on Tuesday by beating Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina, who accused the Belarusian of fanning the flames of controversy for waiting at the net for a handshake she knew would never come.

The European conflict saw Russian and Belarusian actors banned from competing at Wimbledon last year.

Sabalenka, who had skipped previous news conferences citing mental health reasons and said she felt unsafe after being repeatedly asked about the war, said she did not regret missing her media duties.

“I felt really bad about not coming here,” she said.

“I couldn’t sleep. Like all these bad feelings were in my head.

“I don’t regret those decisions. I felt really disrespected and I felt really bad.

“I mean, at a Grand Slam, there’s enough pressure to deal with. And I tried to focus on myself, on my game.

“I really hope you understand me, my feelings. You know, I really respect you all and I’m always open. You can ask whatever you want. You will get all the information.

Svitolina had said she would not shake hands with Russian or Belarusian players after Moscow invaded her country last year, for which Belarus is a key transit zone.

“I don’t know, to be honest, what she was expecting because my statements were clear about the handshake,” said Svitolina, who was booed by the Roland Garros crowd for walking to her bench while Sabalenka waited at the net after winning 6-4 6-4.

This is not the first time an international conflict has made headlines at Roland Garros this year. Sabalenka’s remarks come after men’s world number three Novak Djokovic sparked controversy by commenting on tensions between Kosovo and its homeland, Serbia.

Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008 and more than 100 countries recognize it as an independent state, but Serbia still considers it part of its territory.

More than 30 NATO peacekeepers were injured in recent clashes with ethnic Serbs in northern Kosovo, prompting NATO to send 700 more to the region.

Djokovic, whose father was born in Kosovo, wrote: “Kosovo is the heart of Serbia. Stop the violence” on a camera lens after a match last week.

Djokovic reached the semi-finals with a victory over Russian 11th seed Karen Khachanov 4-6 7-6 (0) 6-2 6-4 in his bid to secure a men’s record 23 Grand Slam titles.

Mr. Lukashenko, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s staunchest ally among his neighbors, celebrated Sabalenka’s victory at the Australian Open in January and said recently that people knew which country she was from, even though she was playing under a neutral flag.

Sabalenka, who met Mr Lukashenko, had refused to comment when asked whether she personally condemned the war.

“We played a lot of Fed Cups in Belarus. He was present at our matches and took photos with us after the match. Nothing bad was happening that time in Belarus, Ukraine or Russia,” she said.

Sabalenka was asked if she felt safe during Tuesday’s press conference.

“Yes, I do,” she said.

“Probably because I had a few days to disconnect, a few days to pull myself together. That’s why I feel safer. And no one is putting words in my mouth, so that’s another reason.”

Reuters/ABC