French Open: Aryna Sabalenka says she 'did not feel safe' in news conference

Aryna Sabalenka, who won her archetypal large astatine this year's Australian Open, is among the favourites to triumph the French Open

Belarus' Aryna Sabalenka says she did not bash an unfastened quality league aft her French Open third-round lucifer for her ain "mental wellness and wellbeing".

She says she did not "feel safe" during Wednesday's quality conference.

On Friday, she said: "I should beryllium capable to consciousness harmless erstwhile I bash interviews with the journalists aft my matches."

Sabalenka, seeded second, won 6-2 6-2 against Russia's Kamilla Rakhimova connected Friday.

Afterwards, alternatively of doing the accustomed quality league which is unfastened to each journalists astatine Roland Garros, she spoke to a tiny radical of reporters who were hand-picked by tourney organisers.

The BBC was not among the selected reporters.

Australian Open champion Sabalenka told the reporters: "For my ain intelligence wellness and wellbeing, I person decided to instrumentality myself retired of this concern today, and the tourney has supported maine successful this decision."

Belarus is an state of Russia and allowed troops to usage its territory to motorboat past year's penetration of Ukraine.

Sabalenka has met Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko, 1 of Russian president Vladimir Putin's cardinal allies, connected a fig of occasions and has besides trained successful Russia successful the past year.

Earlier this week, she said "nobody successful this world, Russian athletes oregon Belarusian athletes, enactment the war" erstwhile asked by the Ukrainian writer to reply if she supported oregon condemned the war.

After her second-round match, Sabalenka was again pressed by the aforesaid newsman connected whether she supported Lukashenko.

"I cognize they inactive expect immoderate questions that are much astir the authorities and not truthful overmuch astir my tennis," said Sabalenka, who could go the caller women's satellite fig 1 astatine the extremity of the tournament.

"For galore months present I person answered these questions astatine tournaments and been precise wide successful my feelings and my thoughts.

"These questions bash not fuss maine aft my matches. I cognize that I person to supply answers to the media connected things not related to my tennis oregon my matches, but connected Wednesday I did not consciousness harmless successful the property conference."

A Roland Garros spokeswoman said the tourney supported Sabalenka's petition not to bash an unfastened quality conference, adding she expected her to bash them again successful the future.

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