A Roland-Garros
Aryna Sabalenka easily qualified for the round of 16 at Roland-Garros against (6-2, 6-2 against Rakhimova) this Friday but she decided to give up the press in stride as it is the custom, being satisfied to answer some questions of the organization of the tournament, without the usual presence of journalists. The world number 2 explained this choice.
“For months I have been answering these questions at all tournaments and have been very clear about my feelings and opinions. These questions do not bother me, I know that I have to answer the media on questions that are not related to my tennis or my matches. But, Wednesday (after the second round, editor’s note), I did not feel safe, ”she explained.
“But I should be able to feel safe talking to journalists after my matches. For my own sanity and well-being, I decided not to put myself in this situation today (Friday, editor’s note) and the tournament supported my decision. These last few days have been complicated and now I have to concentrate to play well,” concluded the player.
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After her victory in the second round, Sabalenka was persistently questioned by a Ukrainian journalist. The questions focused on her relations with President Alexander Lukashenko, to whom she is close, an ally of Russia in the conflict against Ukraine, and on her position regarding the war. Embarrassed, the player did not wish to answer despite the insistence of the journalist who ended up being interrupted by the media relations managers.
The players have the obligation to go to a press conference after their meeting. Any breach of this regulation generally results in a heavy fine but the second player in the world, in agreement with the tournament management, will escape this rule, the protection of the mental health of the athletes being one of the priorities of the organizers.
