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Belarusian Star Aryna Sabalenka’s Bold French Open Decision Has a Ripple Effect on Iga Swiatek as Bizarre Scenes Unfold at Roland Garros

Published 06/05/2023, 1:56 PM EDT

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via Reuters

The WTA World No.2, Aryna Sabalenka is having a wonderful time in the French Open 2023. Her run to the quarter-finals has been a dominant one as she barely broke a sweat, apart from her fourth-round match against American star Sloane Stephens. Considering her amazing form, her fans have high hopes for her and are rooting thoroughly for the tennis star. However, more than her performance on the court, she has been in the limelight for continuously avoiding post-match media conferences.

Her reason for not participating in such conversations with the media is her mental well-being. She mentioned in her ‘selective interview’ that she did not feel safe during the normal press conferences and wants to have an interview only with selective representatives which does not include BBC as well. Just recently, she again decided to ditch the conference after her fourth round and not everyone is taking this well.

Aryna Sabalenka decided to ditch her presser again to safeguard her mental health

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The Belarusian tennis player has locked herself in a tight spot by ditching one presser after the other. Tennis fans look forward to such conferences and they want to hear from their favorite players. But Aryna is clearly not in the zone to face the media. The reason why she has been avoiding such interactions is that she does not feel safe answering questions related to the Russia-Ukraine war, especially Belarus’ part in it.

Read More: After Astounding French Open Move, Belarusian Tennis Beauty Aryna Sabalenka Gets Candid About What Keeps Her Sane Off-Court – ‘I Like Detectives..’

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So any questions that pop up from the media related to this make her feel uncomfortable. That is why she decided to not attend any presser after her match. In fact, Iga Swiatek’s post-match conference was also interrupted due to a question related to Sabalenka. She was asked about why Aryna has been avoiding pressers. Iga responded, “I heard that she did not attend the conference. But I do not know what the reason was. I heard she didn’t feel comfortable…”.

Tennis fans have mixed reactions to Aryna missing the post-match conferences

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On one hand, some of the fans have been supporting her decision to ditch the presser. But there are a set of people who really wish to hear their tennis idols at the conference. So they want Aryna to fulfill her media obligations.

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It is also because another player, Naomi Osaka, faced severe repercussions when she did not attend a presser in 2021. She was fined $15.000 and was also threatened to be defaulted at Roland Garros for not fulfilling media obligations. What is your take on Aryna’s action?

Watch Story: Days After Unexpected Attention From Serena Williams, Bizarre Sexist Question Puts Tennis Star Aryna Sabalenka on the Spot at Italian Open 2023

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Written by:

Ishmeet Kaur

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Ishmeet Kaur is a tennis writer at EssentiallySports. Although she completed her Masters in Business Administration, her passion for writing motivated her to hone her skills as a Content Writer. After sharpening her skills in writing and managing content, Ishmeet finally stepped into her dream field: sports journalism.
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Edited by:

Tony Thomas