Aryna Sabalenka slams the British Government claiming the Wimbledon ban changed nothing.
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Aryna Sabalenka
The Belarusian star, Aryna Sabalenka slammed the British government by saying that banning players from Belarus and Russia “changed nothing”. Wimbledon decided to ban players from Belarus and Russia last year after Russia invaded Ukraine.
The world No. 5 was disappointed to have missed last year’s Wimbledon after reaching the semi-finals in the same tournament in 2021. Having competed in the tournament only once, the Belarusian star said she missed the atmosphere of Wimbledon.
In a recent interview, she said “This is really terrible because no one supports war — no one. The problem is we have to speak loud about that … but why should we scream about that in every corner? It’s not going to help at all.“
Continued speaking to Melbourne’s THE AGE, she said “I’m just really disappointed sport is somehow in politics. We’re just athletes playing their sport. That’s it. We’re not about politics. If all of us could do something, we would, but we have zero control. They banned us from Wimbledon and what did it change? Nothing — they’re still doing this and this is the sad [part] of this situation.”
She also added “I had a great time in Miami, but I really missed the people because the atmosphere at Wimbledon is super amazing. You can feel these people really love tennis there, and I really miss them. I really hope I’ll play there [in 2023], just because of the people, to feel this atmosphere. But if they’re going to ban us again, I don’t care about Wimbledon’s decision. The only thing I’ll miss is the people.”
No play in Wimbledon for the Russians and Belarusians says Wimbledon
The Lawn Tennis Association (LTA), Great Britain’s governing body for the sport, and All England Lawn Tennis Club were fined $1 million by ATP and stripped of their ranking points for the last year. However, LTA is yet to decide on whether to continue the ban for this year, which is unlikely to happen. Aryna Sabalenka is playing the Australian Open under a neutral flag and says that it feels like she’s from nowhere.
The LTA faced severe criticism from all over the tennis fraternity due to this decision as it not only affected the Russian and Belarusian players but everyone who participated in the tournament. No player could gain points during Wimbledon. She is all set for the Australian Open and starts her preparation in Adelaide. She is seeded No.2 in the tournament and is one of the title favorites. The ban only served as a motivation for me to perform better said the world No.5
With all the controversy last year, it looks like ATP is keen on conducting tournaments without any issues. Although the Australian Open is set to allow players under a neutral flag, things will get resolved soon hopefully and players can play all the tournaments in 2023 without any troubles.
Related: Novak Djokovic shakes his hips with Aryna Sabalenka and cheerleaders at the World Tennis League
Related: Aryna Sabalenka reveals her off-season plans in order to relax after a hectic 2022 season
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Vitasta Singh
(691 Articles Published)