| Premises: Roland Garros, Paris Dates: May 28 – June 11 |
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Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka says she “can’t do anything” if Ukrainian opponent Marta Kostiuk “hates” her because of her nation’s support for the Russian invasion.
Sabalenka, world number two, expects Kostyuk not to shake hands after his French Open first round match.
Belarus is an ally of Russia and allowed its troops to use its territory to launch last year’s invasion of Ukraine.
“If they feel comfortable not shaking hands, I’m happy with that,” Sabalenka said.
Sabalenka, 25, is aiming for Grand Slam titles at Roland Garros after winning the first Grand Slam of her career at the Australian Open in January.
The Belarusian also has a chance to become number one in the WTA world for the first time, overtaking Polish Iga Świątek at the top of the ranking.
Sabalenka had previously said that “no one supports war” and repeated in Paris on Friday that she would stop it if she could.
Kostiuk, 20, refused to shake hands with Belarusian Victoria Azarenko at last year’s US Open and also said seeing Russian flags waved by supporters of Vladimir Putin at the Australian Open In January it hurt a lot.
Asked about Kostyuk’s reaction when they play in the first round on Sunday, Sabalenka added: “I don’t want to waste my energy on such things.
“It’s none of my business, you know. If she hates me, OK. I can’t do anything about it.
“There will be people who love me, there will be people who hate me. If she hates me, I don’t feel the same about her.
“In a way, I understand why they don’t shake hands. At the same time, I feel that sport should not be in politics, we are just athletes.”
