Aryna Sabalenka, the current world No.1 in women’s tennis singles, has responded to a stunning claim from Oleksandra Oliynykova, who insisted that Sabalenka and other Belarusian and Russian players from professional tennis after her first-round exit from the Australian Open.
The Australian Open is underway and Ukrainian tennis player Oliynykova exited the competition at the first round following a loss to ninth seed Madison Keys.
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With her father being a soldier, whom she is trying to support by raising money through her tennis winnings, in Ukraine’s war effort, Oliynykova didn’t leave the Grand Slam on a quiet note as she called out Sabalenka, claiming that she shouldn’t be allowed to compete.
Sabalenka Reponds to Calls From Oliynykova Claiming She Should Not Be Allowed to Compete
Following her first-round defeat to Keys, Oliynykova – the world No.92 – wore a T-shirt with the message: ‘I need your help to protect Ukrainian children and women, but I can’t talk about it here’ written on it.
Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine has been a pertinent conversation in the world of sport since it first happened, with many claiming the nation shouldn’t be allowed to participate in events in every sport. Oliynykova believes that should be the case for Belarus international Sabalenka.
After her very first Grand Slam debut at Melbourne Park came to a swift close, the 25-year-old spoke about Russian and Belarusian tennis athletes who are still able to compete. “It’s very wrong that they are not disqualified in tennis like in other sports,’ Oliynykova told The Age.
“I know that here is the picture that we are all tennis girls playing, but the people don’t see the things behind it. The people with money and power, they are using this to support aggression against my country. They are the reason, the people who have the power to speak up – they are not doing this.”
Oliynykova went further in her scathing attack to highlight how Sabalenka, who has said she isn’t in support of the Russian invasion of Ukraine or Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko, signed a letter supporting Lukashenko in 2020, two years before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Belarus, the homeland of Sabalenka, is a close ally of Russia and Oliynykova said she did not like seeing players from those nations in the locker room alongside her and refused to speak to any of them.
Sabalenka, following her second-round victory over China’s Bai Zhuoxuan on Wednesday, has since been asked about Oliynykova’s outburst. “I have spoken a lot about that before, obviously. I want peace, and if I could change anything, I would definitely do that. Other than that, I have nothing else to say,” the world No.1 said.
“Listen, I’m here for tennis. It’s a tennis event,” Sabalenka continued when asked if Oliynykova’s comments were unfair or not. “I have said enough in the past and just don’t want to talk politics here. Thank you.”
This isn’t the first time Sabalenka has needed to respond to questions regarding the ongoing war in Ukraine. At the French Open in 2023, Sabalenka was confronted by a Ukrainian journalist about whether she supported Lukashenko. It’s a tough question. I don’t support war, meaning I don’t support Lukashenko right now,” she said.
Daniil Medvedev, a men’s player and former US Open champion, was also asked about his thoughts on what Oliynykova had to say regarding Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Remaining coy, he said that he respects the opinions of everyone but didn’t want to delve into any further details. Per The Independent, he said:
“In general, I respect all the opinions of all the people. On the court actually a bit different, right, but outside the court, I respect all the opinions. But that’s her opinion, and honestly, I don’t have anything to say about it.”
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Medvedev, a three-time Australian Open runner-up, had his work cut out for him as he saw off Jesper de Jong in a 3-1 win in sets, whereas Oliynykova said there was an explosion near her home in Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, on the night she travelled to Australia to compete.