World No.2 Aryna Sabalenka says the Ladies’s Tennis Affiliation (WTA) is doing a great job of supporting gamers from Ukraine, Russia and Belarus amid tensions within the locker room following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine final yr.
Ukraine’s Lesia Tsurenko withdrew from her match with Belarusian Sabalenka at Indian Wells because of what she stated was a panic assault triggered by a chat with WTA chief government Steve Simon about tennis’s response to Russia’s invasion.
Belarus has been a staging floor for what Moscow calls a “particular army operation”.
The highest-ranked Iga Swiatek known as for extra help to be supplied to Ukrainian gamers after Tsurenko’s pullout and stated the actions taken by the tennis management was not sufficient.
“No person can management the feelings of others. I feel the WTA are doing their greatest,” Sabalenka stated after reaching the Indian Wells last on Friday.
Sabalenka stated there was nonetheless rigidity between gamers however particular person athletes had not executed something fallacious.
“Not me, not Russian athletes, not Belarusian athletes, not one in all us did one thing dangerous. So what else can I say? I feel the WTA are doing a extremely nice job to help either side,” Sabalenka stated.
“All of us are attempting to maintain calm within the locker room and maintain understanding that this isn’t our fault and that each one of us perceive Ukrainians and we actually really feel dangerous for them.”
Sabalenka takes on Russian-born Kazakh Elena Rybakina within the last on Sunday in southern California, a rematch of their Australian Open title conflict which the Belarusian received for her first grand slam crown.
