"No comments to you" - Heated exchange between Aryna Sabalenka and Ukrainian journalist rocks French Open
Aryna Sabalenka booked her spot in the third round of the 2023 French Open on Wednesday, taking down Iryna Shymanovich 7-5, 6-2 in straight sets. But more than her on-court performance, it is what transpired later in the press room afterwards that has taken the tennis world by storm.
After discussing her battle against Shymanovich, the Belarusian was hit with a loaded question from an Ukrainian journalist. Sabalenka was asked in direct terms about her support for Alexander Lukashenko, the country's president.
The journalist refered to Lukashenko as a "dictator" and reminded Sabalenka of how she had once celebrated New Year alongisde him, among other things. This was while Lukashenko's regime was in the middle of allegedly persecuting dissenters.
Sabalenka refused to answer the question, saying:
"I have no comments to you, so thank you for your question."
The journalist then demanded that Aryna Sabalenka publicly condemn Belarus for its role in the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine. That prompted a similar response from the World No. 2.
"I've got no comments to you," Sabalenka said.
Agitated, the journalist then called Sabalenka "a small person," at which point the moderator stepped in and stopped the line of questioning.
"You've got enough answers from me, and I've got no comments to you," Sabalenka said to the journalist afterwards.
"I'm trying to stay away from the negative side of social media" - Aryna Sabalenka
Aryna Sabalenka later spoke about how her social media experience has changed in the last 16 months as a result of the war, while acknowledging that she continues to receive a lot of hate.
The Belarusian claimed it was tough for her but added that she did her best to stay away from negative comments and focus only on the positive side of things.
"Well, it's been really tough," she said. "When everything started, of course, I received a lot of hate, a lot of questions. A lot, you know, from people. But it's something I expect. I'm trying to stay away from the negative side of social media, and I'm focusing on people who are really interested in my life, who are interested in my career, and in my personality."
"As I said before, there is going to be a lot of people who hate you, and it's going to be a lot of people who like you, so I'm focusing on the positive," Aryna Sabalenka added.