“To reject her responsibility of having an opinion on the most important things in the world, I cannot respect it” – Kostyuk on potential new world No 1 Sabalenka
The Ukrainian player says Sabalenka should use her platform to speak out personally against the war
AI/Reuters/Panoramic
After winning her first round match at Roland-Garros over Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk, Belarus’ Aryna Sabalenka said nobody in their right mind, including Russian and Belarusian athletes, would support the current war. But Kostyuk was not satisfied with that response, stating that Sabalenka always makes a generalized statement but never makes a statement about her own personal opinion.
“She never says that she personally doesn’t support this war, and I feel like journalists should change the questions that you ask these athletes because the war is already there,” Kostyuk told the media after losing to Sabalenka in one hour and 11 minutes. “It’s been 15 months since the war has begun. I feel like you should ask these players who would they want the war to win because if you ask this question, I’m not so sure these people will say that they want Ukraine to win.
“She should talk for herself I think, first of all. Then, talk about all the other athletes because I know — I personally know athletes from tennis that support the war. To say nobody I think is a little bit strong because I think you can only speak for yourself. I don’t know what else to say.”
When asked whether it may be tough for Russian and Belarusian athletes to speak out directly against the war, Kostyuk said she did not understand why this situation is difficult for someone like Sabalenka.
“I don’t know why it’s a difficult situation for her. Since the beginning of the war, all of them have very difficult situation, and I don’t understand what is difficult about it, you know? She might be World No. 1 after this tournament, and she’s going to be World No. 1 in one of the most known sports in the world. If you check the statistics in Russia, who support the war or who don’t, in Russia there is 80 percent or 85 percent of people who support this war. Just by speaking out, I think she can just send some message Someone like Aryna, who is traveling the world, she has a big platform of people who support her. There are so many platforms that millions, billions of people in the world read. And just to reject her responsibility of having an opinion on the most important things in the world, I cannot respect it.”
“I don’t know what other players are afraid of. I go back to Ukraine where I can die any second from drones or missiles or whatever it is, and I try to go back there as much as I can. I just don’t have time for it really. And what are they afraid of, honestly? Most of the players who have been — there are a lot of players who have financial possibilities to even take their families away, but for some reason they don’t do it, and I was forced to do it.”
Sabalenka had earlier also been criticized by former ATP pro Sergiy Stakhovsky for not using her platform enough.
arina sabalenka “If there would be anything I could do to stop the war I would do it but the reality is a cannot do anything”
— Sergiy Stakhovsky (@Stako_tennis) April 19, 2023
The fact is that she even didn’t try to stop this war and she definitely has the platform to try. So everything she says is empty words.
Nobody in this world, Russian athletes or Belarusian athletes, support the war. Nobody.
Aryna Sabalenka
Sabalenka was first to speak to the media after the tense first round match, which ended with the crowd booing Kostyuk for not partaking in the customary post-match handshake. The Belarusian said that no one in their right mind, including Russian and Belarusian athletes, would support a war.
“About the war situation, I said it many, many times: Nobody in this world, Russian athletes or Belarusian athletes, support the war. Nobody. How can we support the war? Nobody, normal people will never support it,” Sabalenka said. “Why we have to go loud and say that things — this is like one plus one, it’s two. Of course we don’t support war. If it could affect anyhow the war, if it could like stop it, we would do it. But unfortunately, it’s not in our hands.”
When asked what message she would like to send as one of the leading players in the most high-profile women’s sport in the world, Sabalenka said she wanted to inspire people from small countries to believe that they can succeed in sports.
“As the World No. 1, what’s my message? I’m from small country, from Belarus, who was working really hard to get to this level. This is the message to a lot of young athletes who is from small countries, who don’t have enough money, who’s just from the small countries, that they can do well in this sport. That they have to work hard and believe in themselves, and they can do whatever they want to. This is my main message as World No. 1. I don’t know if I’m role model for a lot of people or, as I said, there’s going to be people who don’t like me and there is going to be people who like me. I’m focusing on people who like me and who want me to be the best. I want to show my best tennis, I want people to enjoy tennis matches, to enjoy my matches. So this is my message, to bring the joy for people.”
