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Aryna Sabalenka in her match against Jelina Svitolina
Photo: Clive Mason / Getty Images
Belarusian tennis star Aryna Sabalenka distanced himself from ruler Alexander Lukashenko at his first press conference after two media boycotts at the French Open. "I don't support the war, which means that I don't support Lukashenko right now," said the 25-year-old world number two after reaching the quarter-finals in Paris.
Sabalenka, after critical questions about her stance on the war and Lukashenko, had twice refused the usual press conference in consultation with the organizers, claiming her "mental health". After her quarter-final victory in the politically explosive duel with the Ukrainian Jelina Svitolina, she now answered all questions.
She explained joint photos with Lukashenko in the past with his presence at Fed Cup matches in Belarus. "At that time, nothing bad happened in Belarus or Ukraine or Russia," said the Australian Open winner. "I've said it many times that I don't support the war. I don't want my country to be involved in any conflict."
No handshake with Svitolina
"I couldn't sleep and I felt very bad because I didn't come here," Sabalenka said, but also said she didn't regret her decision. "I didn't feel respected. In a Grand Slam, you already have enough pressure to deal with. I just tried to concentrate on my game," Sabalenka said. It is important to her not to be involved in political discussions.
On the court, Svitolina, who is intensively committed to peace in her Ukrainian homeland, refused to shake Sabalenka's hand after the game, as expected. Sabalenka had been waiting for her opponent at the net, which in turn surprised Svitolina. "I honestly don't know what she was expecting – what she was waiting for, because my statements about the handshake were pretty clear." Sabalenka had thus exacerbated the situation somewhat in her eyes, confirmed Svitolina, who had again been booed for her action by parts of the Parisian audience.
Semi-final against Muchova
Sabalenka was clearly the better player in the Parisian midday heat. The Australian Open winner can thus continue to dream of the second Grand Slam title of her career - for Svitolina, meanwhile, the remarkable comeback story ended after the birth of her first daughter in October.
Previously, the Czech Karolina Muchova was the first participant to reach the semi-finals in Roland Garros. The 26-year-old defeated Russia's Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 7-5, 6-2 and now meets Sabalenka, who reached the semifinals in Paris for the first time.
mfu/dpa