The second racket of the world does not want to be involved in any politics
Belarusian tennis player Arina Sobolenko spoke about joint photographs with Alexander Lukashenko and about the war of Russia against Ukraine, which the Russian Federation unleashed with the support of Belarus.
“We played a lot of Fed Cup matches in Belarus. He [Лукашенко] was at our matches, took pictures with us after the match. Nothing bad happened then either in Belarus, or in Ukraine, or in Russia. And I have said many times that I do not support the war. I don’t want my country to be drawn into any kind of conflict. I have said this many times and you know my position. You have my position. You have my answer.”
“And that’s why I don’t want the sport to be drawn into politics, just because I’m a tennis player, a 25-year-old tennis player. And if I wanted to be in politics, I wouldn’t be here. I don’t want to be involved in any politics. I just want to be a tennis player.”
“If I mean that I don’t support the war, it means I don’t support Lukashenka right now.”
Sobolenko told why she was waiting for Elina Svitolina near the grid after the 1/4 final match of Roland Garros. Arina also commented on the whistle of the fans to the Ukrainian tennis player.
“I don’t know. It was just instinct, as I always do after all my matches. I don’t think she deserved all the shouting. I have a lot of respect for what she does after the baby is born. I’m really impressed with what she does. I have a lot of respect for her.”
Sobolenko defeated Svitolina in two sets – 6:4, 6:4. In the 1/2 finals, Arina will play against the Czech Karolina Muchova.
Early on the morning of February 24, 2022, Russia launched rocket and air strikes on most Ukrainian cities and then launched a full-scale military invasion. The war of the Russian Federation against Ukraine has been going on for the 468th day.
Source: Sportarena
I’m Rose Brown , a journalist and writer with over 10 years of experience in the news industry. I specialize in covering tennis-related news for Athletistic, a leading sports media website. My writing is highly regarded for its quick turnaround and accuracy, as well as my ability to tell compelling stories about the sport.
