World No 2 Aryna Sabalenka refused to hold her post-match press conference at the French Open today for her “mental health and well-being”. And the Australian Open champion from Belarus, who clashed with a Ukrainian journalist after the second round, claimed: “On Wednesday I did not feel safe in the press conference”.
Instead of speaking to the media, Sabalenka only spoke to a WTA employee with the agreement of the French Open.
The Belarusian said: “After my match I spoke with the media like I normally do. I know they still expect some questions that are more about the politics and not so much about my tennis.
“For many months now I have answered these questions at tournaments and been very clear in my feelings and my thoughts. These questions do not bother me after my matches. I know that I have to provide answers to the media on things not related to my tennis or my matches, but on Wednesday I did not feel safe in press conference.
“I should be able to feel safe when I do interviews with the journalists after my matches. For my own mental health and well-being, I have decided to take myself out of this situation today, and the tournament has supported me in this decision.
“It hasn’t been an easy few days, and now my focus is continue to play well here in Paris.”
In 2021, Naomi Osaka was fined (£12,000) $15,000 for refusing to speak to the media after her first round win and threatened with expulsion from the tournament on mental health grounds. The Japanese star then withdrew from the tournament.
Sabalenka refused to answer the Ukrainian journalist’s questions on Wednesday after clashing with the same reporter after her first-round match on Sunday. “I’ve got no comments to you, so thank you for your question,” she said after being asked a question about her previous support for President Lukashenko.
“So you basically support everything because you cannot speak up? You’re not a small person, Aryna,” the reporter responded. As Sabalenka continued to refuse to comment, they added: “Now we know everything. It’s all clear. It’s all clear to us.”
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