2 years ago
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Aryna Sabalenka reached the Wimbledon semi-finals successful 2021Wimbledon's determination to prohibition Russian and Belarusian players from playing successful the 2022 tourney "changed nothing", says satellite fig 5 Aryna Sabalenka.
Belarusian Sabalenka was 1 of respective apical players to miss retired connected the Grand Slam, aft Wimbledon imposed the prohibition pursuing Russia's penetration of Ukraine.
Organisers were subsequently fined and the tourney was stripped of its ranking points by the ATP and WTA.
"I'm conscionable truly disappointed athletics is someway successful politics," said Sabalenka.
Speaking to Australian paper The Age, the 24-year-old added: "We're conscionable athletes playing their sport. That's it. We're not astir politics. If each of america could bash thing [about the war], we would bash it, but we person zero control.
"They banned america from Wimbledon, and what did it change? Nothing - they're [the Russian government] inactive doing this, and this is the bittersweet [part] of this situation."
The All England Lawn Tennis Club, which organises Wimbledon, is yet to denote if the prohibition volition stay successful spot for the 2023 tournament.
But Sabalenka, who added that "no-one supports war", is hopeful of a instrumentality to the grass-court major, having recovered herself incapable to carnivore watching past year's action.
"It was a pugnacious time. I was ace disappointed with their decision," she said.
"I truly missed the radical due to the fact that the ambiance astatine Wimbledon is ace amazing. You tin consciousness these radical truly emotion tennis there, and I truly miss them.
"I truly anticipation that I'll play determination [in 2023], conscionable due to the fact that of the people, to consciousness this atmosphere. But if they're going to prohibition america again... I don't attraction astir Wimbledon's decision. The lone happening I'll miss is the people."
English (US)