«Hated by my colleagues, but I didn’t do anything»- Corriere.it

The first months of 2023, egr Aryna Sabalenka
, were extraordinary: a judgment that remains so even after the defeat in the final at Indian Wells against the Kazakh Elena Rybakina, which does not erase the victory at the Australian Open and a score of 18 wins and only 2 games lost. But the hatred that Sabalenka recounted a few hours before the start of the other American Masters 1000, that of Miami, is not due to her results on the court.

“Unfortunately, things are not going well with some Ukrainian girls – says the Belarusian «Tiger» -. But I realize that it’s nobody’s fault. We have not personally done anything to the Ukrainians, but we are suffering from the general situation. I’ve often experienced haters on social media after a defeat, but I’ve never had to face so much hate in the tennis locker room». For a year now, Russian and Belarusian athletes have been playing without a flag: in the last Wimbledon tournament, however, they weren’t even allowed to take the field. “I’ve had weird conversations with a couple of co-workers, and it’s been really hard to understand that there are so many people who hate me for no reason. Unfortunately, however, I can’t control the feelings of the others: I’ve been sick for some time, now I’ve understood everything and I’ve decided to put this situation behind me».

TO Wimbledon, this year, Sabalenka would like to be there: «I really hope that there are no great tensions and worries around this historic tournament. I hope to play, because last year I was really very bad». Meanwhile, there is Miami, an opportunity to avenge the defeat at Indian Wells and also put the haters behind them.