"Before we continue I'm not going to talk about politics": Sabalenka aims to end politics questioning in pre Wimbledon presser
WTASaturday, 01 July 2023 at 17:15
Aryna Sabalenka has aimed to nip questions about politics and in particular the Russia-Ukraine war and her association with President Lukashenko in the bud before they get asked at this year's Wimbledon.
Sabalenka decided against taking part in press conferences during multiple rounds at Roland Garros saying she felt unsafe and cited her mental health and wellbeing after being asked by a specific journalist in the first round about Ukraine.
Then pictures surfaced of President Lukashenko with Sabalenka seemingly supporting him while her fellow compatriots were tortured.
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As expected this then became a hot topic and will be magnified even more during Wimbledon. This is due to Sabalenka being allowed to play this year after Russian and Belarusian players were banned last time out.
She made a statement before taking part in the media day for this year's tournament saying she wouldn't answer any questions surrounding politics.
As well as the issues that arose at Roland Garros, Sabalenka has also spoke about how in her mind sports and politics shouldn't mix which was then disparaged by her opponent, Marta Kostyuk who said she should use her platform and ranking to make a stand.
"Before we continue I would like to say I'm not going to talk about politics. I'm here to talk about tennis only. If you have any kind of political questions you can ask WTA or the tournament," said Sabalenka.
"They can send you the transcript of my answers from the previous tournaments."
Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has a broad background in tennis media. In his current role, he works closely with editors and writers to ensure coverage meets clear journalistic standards, with particular attention to verification, consistency, and timely updates when new information becomes available.
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