American Stevens supported Sobolenko’s refusal to communicate with the press at Roland Garros
A member of the Council of Players of the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA), American Sloan Stevens, during a press conference, supported the decision of the Belarusian Arina Sabalenko to refuse to communicate with the press after the second round match of Roland Garros.
Stevens said that Sobolenko does not need to come to a press conference if she does not feel safe. “Everyone should feel good about himself and what he does. That’s all,” she stressed.
On June 2, Sobolenko refused to participate in an open post-match press conference, saying that she did not feel safe answering journalists’ questions. Instead, the Belarusian athlete spoke to a group of media professionals selected by the tournament organizers.
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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