Aryna Sabalenka insists she is not concerned about Wimbledon right now but admitted she would have nothing against competing at The Championships again in 2023. In April, Wimbledon imposed player bans on Russian and Belarusian players, leaving Sabalenka without a chance to compete at one of the most prestigious tournaments in the world.
Going into the 2023 season, there is no guarantee that Russian and Belarusian players will be allowed to return to the tournament. “I think I have zero control on this situation. I’m just sitting and waiting for the decision.
And whatever happens, happens. If they’re going to ban us for another year, okay, whatever, I’m going to have fun at home in Miami, I’m going to spend some time with my family and do another pre-season. Whatever they decide, it’s their decision.
I don’t care about Wimbledon,” Sabalenka told AFP.
Sabalenka: They weren’t really open to us this year
In early March, rumors started circulating that Russian and Belarusian players may be banned from Wimbledon.
The following month, Wimbledon officially confirmed player bans on Russian and Belarusian players. Some players weren’t happy at all as Andrey Rublev insisted that he reached out to Wimbledon and offered solutions, but they didn’t listen.
“I really hope that they will be a little bit more open for us. But as last year showed, they are not really happy (to have) Belarusians and Russians at their event,” Sabalenka added. Interestingly, it was Wimbledon where Sabalenka made her first Grand Slam semifinal.
In the summer of 2021, Sabalenka made the Wimbledon semifinal before losing to Karolina Pliskova. In total, Sabalenka has competed at Wimbledon four times. In her first three appearances, Sabalenka didn’t make it past the second round.
The WTA and ATP have made it clear they want Russian and Belarusian players back at Wimbledon and it remains to be seen if Sabalenka gets a chance to return to Wimbledon in 2023.
