"I do not want to betray all those children in Belarus," says Sabalenka on a possible change of sporting nationality

Since 2022, Russian and Belarusian athletes have competed under a neutral banner due to the war in Ukraine. Aryna Sabalenka states that she has never considered changing her sporting nationality.

© AFP

Adrien Guyot

le 10/12/2025 à 09h45

1 min to read

Sabalenka Aryna

When will Russian and Belarusian flags return to professional tennis? The question has been asked for several years now.

In February 2022, the invasion of Ukraine by Russia and Belarus's support for Vladimir Putin's government in this conflict forced tennis authorities to make a decision. Since that date, Russians and Belarusians have been allowed to participate in competitions, but under a neutral banner.

"I will not change my sporting nationality"

A situation far from ideal for the players. In recent months, several Russian players have opted for another passport (Kasatkina, Rakhimova, Timofeeva, Avanesyan, and Potapova).

For her part, Sabalenka does not plan to change her sporting nationality. Asked by Piers Morgan about this, the current world number 1 on the WTA tour expressed her pride in playing for Belarus.

"I have always been proud to represent such a small country. I am an inspiration for the younger ones there. I will not change my sporting nationality, simply because I do not want to betray all those children in Belarus.

I want to represent Belarus for them, so they can see me playing at the highest level and be inspired by me. With my example, I hope to show them that if I can reach the top coming from such a small country, they can also do it in the future," assured Sabalenka.