Aryna Sabalenka, world No. 2, has revealed difficulty understanding the Russian-induced “hate” she had to put up with in her locker room in the wake of the Ukraine invasion.
The Belarusian was amongst “players banned from competing on the WTA and ATP tours under their flags, but can compete as individual athletes without national affiliation.”
Last year, Wimbledon organizers banned players from the two countries from competing in the grass-court event.
Among those not eligible to participate were Sabalenka, a Wimbledon semi-finalist in 2021, and Russia’s Daniil Medvedev, who, at the time, was the men’s world No. 1.
“It was really tough for me because I’ve never faced that much hate in the locker room,” Sabalenka, speaking Tuesday ahead of the Miami Open, said of the ongoing geopolitical strain.
“There are a lot of haters on Instagram when you’re losing matches, but in the locker room I’ve never faced that.
“It was really tough to understand that there’s so many people who hated me for no reason. I did nothing.”
