Belarusian tennis player Sobolenko refused to answer questions from a Ukrainian journalist
Belarusian tennis player Arina Sobolenko refused to communicate with a Ukrainian journalist after the second round match of the French Open. This is reported by the Daily Express.
This happened on May 31 at the post-match press conference after Sobolenko’s victory over compatriot Irina Shimanovich (7:5, 6:2). The journalist asked the athlete about the support of the President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko. In addition, the Ukrainian reporter tried to find out the opinion of the tennis player about the situation in Ukraine.
“I will not comment on anything to you, thanks for the question,” Sobolenko said. “You are not small, Arina. Are you doing this because you can’t speak?” the journalist continued to ask questions. The tennis player again refused to answer, after which the moderator of the meeting was forced to intervene.
On May 28, Sobolenko defeated Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk in the first round of the Roland Garros tournament (6:3, 6:2). After the game, the Ukrainian refused to shake hands with her opponent, for which the fans booed her. Sobolenko said that she could imagine a reaction from the Ukrainian side, therefore she does not consider the act to be disrespectful to her.
Roland Garros takes place in Paris from May 28 to June 10. Russian and Belarusian athletes take part in the tournament in a neutral status.
Source: Lenta
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