‘I’ve never seen so much hatred in the dressing room’

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Aryna Sabalenka (24) celebrated the greatest success of her career in 2023. The number 2 in the world wins the Australian Open and thus her first Grand Slam title. Still, the journey on the WTA tour is not always fun for the Belarusian tennis player at the moment.

Before the Masters 1000 tournament in Miami, Sabalenka admits she has “never seen so much hatred in the wardrobe”. The trigger for this is the war between Russia and Ukraine that has been raging for more than a year. Although Belarus has not yet entered the war, it has allied itself with the Russians. “It was really hard for me to understand that now there are so many people who hate me for no reason,” said Sabalenka. “I have done nothing.”

Always “strange conversations”

Not only does she feel hatred in the dressing room, she doesn’t have it easy on the field either. In Indian Wells, her game drops in the 3rd round – Lesia Tsurenko (33, WTA 81) feels unable to play against the Belarusian. The Ukrainian has a panic attack after a conversation with WTA boss Steve Simon. Among other things, he said that she should not get angry if a player from Russia or Belarus supports the war.

It’s just one episode of how the war has affected the tennis tour. Because even though Sabalenka makes it clear that Russian and Belarusian athletes are not responsible for the actions of their governments, ‘strange conversations’ continue to arise. The whole thing creates both fear and unity among the players.

Call invitation

And some provoke. So Anastasia Potapova (21, WTA 26). The Russian enters the Indian Wells field in a Spartak Moscow shirt. An action that made the number 1 in the world Iga Swiatek (21) shake his head. The Pole calls for support for the Ukrainian tennis stars, because she also notes “some tensions” in the dressing rooms.

That, in turn, evokes Victoria Azarenka (33, WTA 16). She disagrees with Swiatek. “I have never seen such tensions. But it is clear that there are certain players who have different feelings and behaviors.” The Belarusian is now calling on people to sit down and talk about it.

It remains to be seen whether the tensions can really be resolved through talks. (bir)

Source : Blick